Shadows Ascending
by AlphaEph19
Summary: *Sequel to Out of the Shadows* - Orochimaru was defeated once, but what is he scheming now? To find out, Tsunade sends Shikamaru and Ino on a top-secret infiltration mission, posing as boyfriend and girlfriend. Meanwhile, Shikamaru's actually courting Temari, Ino thinks she might be in love with Choji, and Sasuke starts pursuing Ino! The result? Utter chaos, of course!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is the sequel to my story **Out of the Shadows**_**.**_ If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend you check it out before starting this story. If for some reason you don't like reading stories in the order they were written, here's the basic info you should know.

Team 10 started out just like in canon. However, their first C-rank mission ended in disaster, and the man they were supposed to protect died. Shikamaru felt that his laziness was to blame, and all three genin resolved that they would push themselves harder so that they would never repeat their failure. After developing some new techniques, most notably mind-to-mind communication thanks to Ino's Yamanaka training, they took on the Chunin Exams. Shikamaru was much more focused, which allowed him to figure out that Kabuto was a traitor. When Orochimaru began his invasion, the Hokage was prepared. As a result, the combined forces of Suna and Oto were routed, Orochimaru was defeated without killing the Third, and Kabuto was killed by Jiraiya.

Soon after the Invasion, Shikamaru was put in charge of retrieving Sasuke. Thanks to his leadership, the mission was successful and Sasuke was brought back to Konoha. Now, roughly two-thirds of the way into the Time Skip between Naruto and Shippuuden, Sasuke is back in Konoha, but he has no memories of his brother. In order to get Sasuke back to the village during the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, Ino had to erase his memory using one of the advanced techniques of her clan. Tsunade and others keep a close watch over him, and for now the last Uchiha gets to experience the freedom that comes with ignorance.

This story begins with Konoha enjoying a period of relative peace. Relations with Suna are better than they've ever been, and Orochimaru is keeping well out of sight since his earlier defeat and failure to snatch Sasuke. But just as it's always darkest right before dawn, even the sunniest of days must give way to night. And although the shinobi of Konoha don't know it, darkness is fast approaching.

Word of warning: this story might be different in tone from **Out of the Shadows**_**, **_simply because the characters are starting to get into those awkward mid-teen years. There will be much more teenage angst – I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, and if you don't, you will! For those of you who prefer action and espionage, bear with me. There will be plenty of both once the story gets rolling.

Finally, many thanks to my beta, ACoA! It's tough being my sister, and it's tough reading my first drafts, but she does both jobs without complaint – well, mostly :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 1: Uncomfortable Discoveries**

Choji saw his opening and took it, dropping down and sweeping his leg with speed astonishing for someone his size. "Aha!" he crowed, exulting. His opponent was off-balance after the last exchange, completely at his mercy. There was no way she could-

Ino moved like a purple bolt of lightning, jumping up in time to avoid his attack. Before Choji could bring his leg around, Ino lashed out with her right knee, aiming for his head. He had to bend backward painfully, blessing the Akimichi craftsmen who could make armor flexible enough to allow such sudden and irregular motion. Contorted as he was, bent at the waist with his right leg still sweeping, Choji had no way to avoid Ino's follow-up kick. It struck him in the side, and even with his armor, it felt like getting stomped by a particularly angry horse. Ino channeled some chakra through her feet at the moment of impact, enough to send him skidding backward.

By the time he stopped sliding, Choji had both feet under him once again. He spun to set himself for Ino's next attack, expecting her to follow up her advantage with a frontal attack. Instead he saw her completing a set of hand seals, and had barely enough time to feel stupid before her genjutsu took hold. It was a straightforward sensory overload technique, swamping his brain with false signals from his eyes, ears, and pain receptors. Choji felt like he had been dipped in boiling lava, every nerve ending he possessed screaming in agony. His eardrums were splitting and he couldn't see a thing except blinding white light.

This was no subtle mind-control technique meant for manipulating an enemy into giving away information. Rather, it was a simple, yet effective tool for battlefield use, where disorienting an enemy for even a second could give you the necessary opportunity to end a fight. Choji would be damned if he was going to give Ino that opportunity.

Fighting against the pain that threatened to destroy his focus, Choji gathered a sizable amount of chakra. He lurched downward, coming into contact with the earth quickly, if not gracefully. "_Earth Release: Ring of Destruction!_"

He felt the drain on his chakra reserves as the technique began, though he could neither see nor hear the explosion of earth that must be happening around him. Choji moved immediately into a new set of seals, releasing his hold on his chakra so that he could dispel Ino's genjutsu. If he was lucky, his earth jutsu would keep Ino from attacking while he regained control of his senses. If he wasn't lucky… well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd lost during their sparring sessions.

Once Choji dispelled the genjutsu, the light disappeared and he could hear once again. He breathed an involuntary sigh of relief as the pain disappeared as well, his nerve endings no longer fooled by Ino's technique. Choji's earth jutsu had done its work well – he was standing on the only patch of grass left in a twenty-yard radius, the area around him looking like someone had dropped a crate full of explosive tags. However, there was no sign of Ino, and that was generally bad news for whichever fool had the bad luck to be fighting her.

Surveying his surroundings wasted valuable seconds, but no attack followed, and Choji turned full circle without catching any sign of Ino's presence. Training Ground Seven was a flat field with no trees or cover of any kind, so Choji guessed that Ino must be hiding in the wreckage he'd caused with his Earth Release technique. There were many pockets of earth that she could hide in, and a simple henge would make her indistinguishable from any of the large rocks that Choji had blasted from their resting place.

_Wrong move, Ino_, Choji thought, stifling a grin. He didn't need to be able to see her to flush her out of her hiding spot; that was the beauty of the upper-level Earth Release jutsu. When searching for a needle in a haystack, just blow the haystack all to hell. Even if you didn't find the needle afterward, you could be reasonably sure it was out of the fight.

Choji formed the same set of seals he'd used moments before, reaching down to touch the earth. His senses were on full alert, waiting for the reaction he knew was coming. Ino couldn't let him complete the technique without getting caught in it, so her only choice was to prevent him from casting it.

Just about… there! A boulder disappeared with a poof of smoke, replaced by Ino shooting forward at top speed. Choji nodded in satisfaction, dropping his pretense of using a jutsu and instead throwing the shuriken that he'd kept concealed in his fist.

They flew straight toward their target, yet Ino made no move to block them. Choji's fears were confirmed when his shuriken went through Ino without leaving a mark. Just a clone, then. Choji whirled on instinct, his arms coming up to block a blow that might or might not be coming. Thanks to his quick reaction time, he saw the real Ino a second before she came in range.

Choji should have been able to block in time, perhaps even counterattack. But then Ino's hair shifted in the wind, and was illuminated brilliantly by the sun. Time seemed to freeze as Ino soared through the air, her mouth open in a wordless, exulting cry, her eyes shining with savage joy. Choji's heart ached. She looked like an avenging goddess or a warrior angel, death and beauty inextricably mixed in one perfect form.

He was so stricken by the sight of her that he didn't bring his arms up in time. Ino's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but her forward momentum was too much to stop. Her foot caught him in the side of the jaw, and then Choji knew no more.

"…oji! _Choji!_ Wake up!" The insistent voice wouldn't go away, and soon it was accompanied by a spray of cold water that brought Choji back to his senses. He jumped to his feet, panicked, before he realized that there was no threat near him. Just Ino. Which, now that he thought about it, was perhaps just as bad.

He turned to his teammate hesitantly, dreading the expression that he would probably see there… yeah, that one. The blond-haired Yamanaka was looking at Choji with the expression she'd often used on Naruto back in the Academy. It was the expression that meant, "are you _completely_ stupid, or is today just a special occasion?" Choji felt his face burn.

"What happened?" Ino asked. "You had enough time to block. Did you pull a muscle or something?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just… distracted."

Ino frowned slightly. "You've been distracted for a while, it seems. You've been skipping out on practice sessions a lot, and you haven't been the same when we spar."

_Of course not, _Choji reflected with ironic despair. _It's because I'm always sparring with _you.

It was hard to say when Choji had first realized he was starting to see Ino as more than just a teammate. But if he had to guess, he would associate it with the changes his body had been undergoing during the past year. His parents told him that meant he was growing up, becoming a man. Choji supposed it was only natural that he'd started being attracted to girls, but it felt somehow… _disloyal_, or something, to be feeling that way about Ino.

She'd saved his life dozens of times already, and carried him back to the village – twice – when he was dying of chakra exhaustion. Choji knew Ino's mannerisms as well as he knew the back of his hand. He'd seen her laugh and cry, tremble with fear and shout in triumph. After all that, you'd think he could get over the fact that she was growing into a beautiful woman. She was turning fifteen in a few months, a little later than Choji and Shikamaru, and already the male population of Konoha turned their heads when she walked by.

But damn it, Choji should be better than that! He knew better than anyone except Shikamaru that Ino was more than her appearance. Yet for some reason, probably due to his traitorous hormones, Choji completely lost his focus whenever Ino was around. And as teammates, carrying out missions and training together, Ino was _always_ around. That was what accounted for him seeming distracted these past few months – he was only glad that he'd managed to keep his confusing feelings hidden from his teammates. They'd worked so hard to become the team they were today, and he didn't want his awkward crush to ruin their bond. There was no way Ino thought of him in that way, so revealing his feelings would only burden her.

"I'm sorry I've been so out of it lately," Choji told Ino, aware that his long silence was only reinforcing the impression that he was acting weirdly. "I've been trying to develop a new food pill formula that refuses to work. The long hours in the lab must be getting to me."

True as far as it went, so Choji wasn't exactly _lying_ to Ino. Just… not telling her the whole truth. Ino's face lit with enthusiasm, and Choji almost winced at the pang that shot through his chest. It wasn't _fair_ for someone to be so beautiful!

"That's amazing, Choji!" Ino said. "Are you trying to reduce the effects on your body?"

Choji nodded. "Basically. Balancing the power threshold of each pill with the rate of muscle and tissue deterioration has always been the main issue when making food pills. But there isn't any way of stopping the process or reversing it – once an Akimichi eats the Chili Pepper pill, they either get to Tsunade in time or they die."

They fell silent for a second, remembering the Otogakure Invasion when Choji had sacrificed himself to stop Gaara's demon. Without Tsunade close at hand, Team Asuma would have been down to three members instead of four.

"So you think you can find a way to reverse that process?" Ino asked, her eyes shining. "That would be amazing! The Akimichi clan would be unstoppable!"

"Not quite… there's no way of getting around the damage to your body. That's the cost of using Akimichi techniques – the energy has to come from _somewhere_, and the only sources we can use are our own bodies. However, it might be possible to suspend the process of bodily deterioration, kind of like shutting down a machine so it doesn't use up energy while you transport it. If I could do that, then every Akimichi would have a chance for their teammates to bring them back for medical attention, before they wasted away after chakra exhaustion set in."

Ino was looking at him with a mixture of awe and annoyance. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" she demanded. "Now I understand why you've been skipping out on training. I wouldn't have been so annoyed with you!"

Choji felt more than a little guilty. He probably wouldn't have spent nearly so much time in the laboratories if it didn't mean that he could lose himself in chemical formulas and forget about his confusing new feelings towards his teammate.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he cautioned. "I'm not anywhere close to a breakthrough. Every time I think I've solved one issue, another crops up. Mother says that's normal for these pills, but also that I shouldn't expect any results for at least a few years."

Ino's face fell. "Years?! That's… that's a long time... Hey! I was pretty good at chemistry in the Academy, maybe I can help! I bet it wouldn't take me too long to catch up, especially since I can learn all the details straight from your mind. We could be churning out the new generation of ass-kicking food pills in a month!"

Choji had a terrifying vision of Ino seeing what was actually in his mind. All of his embarrassing thoughts completely open to her. Then the inevitable disgust, the betrayed and perhaps hurt expression she would wear as she told Choji that she expected this from other people, but not from _him_… Choji shuddered at the mere thought.

"No!" he shouted, almost involuntarily. "I don't want your help!"

Ino drew away as if he'd slapped her. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't think…"

"Of course you didn't," Choji burst out, panic supplying the words before he could think to hold them back. "You want to fix everybody's problems by rooting around in their mind. Did you ever think there might be some things people want to keep to themselves? If I wanted help, I'd ask for it!"

Choji expected Ino to get angry, to tell him off and say that he was being an ass. But Ino responded to his outburst with wounded dignity. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I really didn't mean to." It only made Choji feel worse.

Choji felt twenty kinds of stupid. How in hell had this conversation gone so wrong? He needed to get away and collect himself, before he ended up hurting Ino's feelings even more. "I'll… see you later," he said finally, before fleeing across the training area and back to Konoha.

oOoOo

Shikamaru couldn't repress a shiver when he entered the Hokage's study. Massive stacks of paper covered Tsunade's desk, tall and menacing, like ponderous columns flanking some ancient temple. Complaints from villagers, reports from Council meetings, and mission requests from all over the country – it was an indisputable fact that the Hokage had the toughest, most boring job in Konoha. Shikamaru knew of only one shinobi boneheaded enough to actually want this job, and it certainly wasn't Tsunade.

_I wish Naruto the best of luck_, Shikamaru thought wryly. _But even if he _does_ become Hokage, twenty ryou says he quits before the week is up._

It didn't make sense that the boy who only opened a scroll if it contained a jutsu wanted to take on a job that was at least ninety percent homework, but then, when had Naruto ever made sense? He was a law unto himself, and if he wanted to be Hokage, Shikamaru wouldn't stand in his way. He just hoped he could be there to see Naruto's expression when the truth sank in.

"Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru called out, scanning the room for any sign of her. She'd summoned him here, after all, so logically she should be here… somewhere.

A groggy voice replied, coming from the direction of the desk. "Wassat?" Shikamaru took a few steps to the left and the Hokage came into view – she had been partially hidden by a stack of papers. It was hard to say what Shikamaru noticed first: the empty sake bottle lying flat next to Tsunade's inkwell, or the thin rope of drool stretching from the left corner of her mouth down onto an outstretched scroll.

Shikamaru coughed politely. Tsunade raised her head, blinked blearily a few times, and swiped a hand across her face. "Ah, it's you, Shikamaru. You made good time."

"No problem at all, Hokage-sama. Ah… should I come back in a bit?"

Tsunade looked at him as if he was stupid. "What? Of course not. I haven't given you your assignment yet."

"I just thought you might want to… never mind." Shikamaru decided not to mention the ink marks that had rubbed onto the Hokage's face during her nap. No doubt she'd find out soon enough. "So what's going on? I assume it's not a mission, since Shizune said it wasn't urgent, and that I shouldn't bother Ino or Choji."

The Hokage knew by now that the members of Team Asuma preferred to work together, even though they were all chunin and capable of choosing their own teams. No one could argue that they didn't get the job done, either – Team Asuma had completed more missions in the last year than any other squad, and all had been successful. If the Hokage had a new mission for them, she would have told Shizune to alert Choji and Ino, and possibly Asuma as well, just so that they didn't waste time preparing to depart.

Tsunade patted her hair absent-mindedly; it was sticking up on the side she'd been sleeping on. "You're right, this isn't a mission. You've been summoned, actually. My predecessor wants to see you."

That was certainly interesting. Out of all the possibilities, this was not one that Shikamaru had foreseen. That didn't happen often, and Shikamaru didn't like the feeling very much. "What does the Third want _me_ for?"

Tsunade grinned in a way that made Shikamaru feel as though he had a target painted on his flak jacket. "You'll just have to find out, won't you? The old man's waiting in the other room."

She picked up the empty bottle by her hand and gestured towards a wooden door on the other side of her study. "What are you waiting for? Get on with you, I've got… work to do." She glanced at the papers on her desk with deep disgust.

"Of course. Good luck, Hokage-sama."

_And pleasant dreams, _Shikamaru added inwardly with a suppressed smile. _I just hope she doesn't drool on anything important._

Shikamaru knocked politely before entering. The side room was small, just wide enough for a table, some chairs, and bookshelves lining the walls. Seated at the table facing the door was Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konohagakure. He had always seemed old to Shikamaru and the other students at the Academy, but lately he had aged even more. His fight against Orochimaru had taken an enormous toll on him, both physically and emotionally. Shikamaru had heard from his father that the Third Hokage had been poisoned in that fight, and it was only because of Jiraiya and Tsunade that he'd survived. But even though the old man was small and frail, his eyes still shone with a fire that was undimmed by age.

The corners of Sarutobi's mouth crinkled in a kind smile. "Shikamaru," he said warmly. "I'm glad you came. I've been meaning to talk to you for a while."

"Really?" Shikamaru blurted out, too surprised to be polite. "Why? …Hokage-sama," he added belatedly.

Sarutobi waved his hand. "No need for that. I'm not the Hokage anymore, and I have no need to be reminded of it. I'm just an old man with some advice for a bright youngster like yourself."

Shikamaru nodded politely, though he couldn't agree. Whatever Sarutobi Hiruzen might be, he wasn't "just an old man." The man once referred to as "The God of Shinobi" was anything but ordinary, no matter how old. "What advice would that be?" Shikamaru ventured. He was now extremely curious.

The former Hokage took a deep puff from his pipe, sending a few smoke rings lazily into the air. Shikamaru was reminded of his sensei, Asuma, who shared his father's love of tobacco. These days, though, Asuma was trying to quit. Kurenai wasn't a huge fan of the smell, and Asuma rarely did anything that his girlfriend disapproved of.

"Remember the final round of the Chunin Exams?" Sarutobi said at last.

"Vividly, sir. What with all those enemy shinobi running around trying to kill us, it's kind of hard to forget."

Sarutobi glared at him with mock disapproval, but with laughter in his eyes. "No, before that. When you were fighting Temari."

Shikamaru nodded hesitantly. Where was the Hokage going with this…

"I saw the finishing technique you used to end it," the Hokage said, gesturing with his pipe. "The whole world saw it – anyone watching the footage, that is. But I'll wager there were very few people who understood what happened."

Shikamaru thought back to the fight. It had been a bit… overdramatic. He'd captured Temari with his shadow, and then forced her to surrender by activating the fire technique he'd developed a few days before the Exams.

"I remember. Has there been some kind of fallout because of it, sir? I would have thought that by now, any political ramifications from humiliating the Kazekage's daughter would have died out."

Kami, he hoped so. Shikamaru wasn't sure how to characterize his strange relationship with Temari, but he knew for sure that he didn't want her people mad at him. He had been so sure the past was behind them, damn it!

The Hokage put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Slow down there, boy. Nothing like that. Relations between Suna and Konoha are better than they've ever been, and growing stronger. I'm not talking about anything political; rather, I want to know more about that technique of yours."

His technique? Why was _that_ important? Shikamaru had used many techniques during the Tournament, so why did the Hokage want to know about this one? True, Shikamaru was rather proud of himself for inventing it, but it wasn't like the Hokage didn't know a thousand more potent techniques.

"Um… there's not much to say. I just activate a simple fire jutsu at the same time that I'm using Shadow Possession. The fire feeds on the chakra in my shadow, and I can send it anywhere as long as it's in my range. The only tricky part is forming the seal with one hand, but after I practiced a lot it wasn't too hard."

Sarutobi was following along, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Yes… that makes sense… your shadow both sustains and restrains the fire, keeping it trapped while giving it life… remarkable." His eyes grew unfocused, no doubt seeing energy diagrams and structural patterns of chakra circulation. Shikamaru remembered that he was in the presence of the foremost expert on jutsu creation in the world.

After giving his head a little shake, Sarutobi seemed to come back to himself. "I don't know if you've already realized this or not," he said, wagging a finger at Shikamaru, "but what you did has always been thought to be impossible. You didn't just create a new jutsu, oh no… you merged your clan's bloodline with a different technique. Shadow Possession is a power that stems from your genetic make-up; it's not like the clone jutsu, which any Academy student can learn given enough time and study. But without any training whatsoever, you've managed to take a Fire Release jutsu and a bloodline technique and meld them."

Sarutobi gave a humble cough. "I've created many jutsu in my lifetime, as have many of Konoha's most powerful shinobi. But I've never seen anything like this before, and the potential is… quite intriguing, to put it mildly."

Shikamaru had never really thought about his Burning Shadow jutsu before – it had just sort of _happened,_ coming to him one day in a flash of inspiration. Now that Sarutobi was pointing it out, he did see how strange it was for the Nara clan's Shadow Possession to integrate so seamlessly with another jutsu. If one such fusion was possible, what about others? What was to stop the shinobi of Konoha from augmenting clan techniques just as Shikamaru had done, to create new, more powerful jutsu? Kami, why hadn't he thought of this himself?

Sarutobi chuckled. "I think you're beginning to see my point. Merely learning a jutsu is hard enough – most shinobi only master a dozen or so techniques, with a few more that they use irregularly. Only rarely does a shinobi come along with the intelligence, creativity, and skill required to create new ones. Shikamaru, I knew from the moment I saw your technique in the Arena that with a little effort, you can build a legacy that will last for generations."

"You mean… you want me to make new jutsu?" The wheels were already turning in Shikamaru's head. He was itching to get started.

Sarutobi nodded. "That's exactly right. I want you to take a little time, maybe get temporary leave from missions outside the village, and start experimenting. Familiarize yourself with the techniques we use most in Konoha, and see if you can discover new combinations of or improvements on any of them. Start with your own abilities, of course, since that's where you've already succeeded."

There were very few things that captured Shikamaru's whole attention. Even though he gave everything he had on every mission, no matter how easy, there was only so much brainpower needed to outmaneuver bandits or low-level missing-nin. Creating jutsu, however… now _there_ was a challenge guaranteed to keep him occupied.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru said, completely forgetting that he wasn't supposed to call Sarutobi that. "I'll get started right away!"

Sarutobi laughed brightly. "Don't let this become an obsession, Shikamaru! You're still a chunin with duties to the village, and besides you have a lot of time ahead of you. Don't burn out trying to do everything at once. Anyway, that's everything I wanted to talk with you about, except to say, officially, that I am very impressed with what you've accomplished. And if I may say so, I am very proud as well. Asuma would say the same – you do him credit, as do your teammates."

Shikamaru bowed very low. "I'm honored by your confidence in me, and I won't let you down!"

Having gained Sarutobi's permission to depart, Shikamaru left the study without a backward glance, his mind springing into motion like a horse breaking from the starting line. What other techniques could he meld with his shadow? And what about his other yearmates? Maybe Kiba's Gatsuuga could combine with fire, too… if he trapped an enemy inside his spinning technique, the fire would suck out the oxygen so he wouldn't even have to hit someone to immobilize them…

Shikamaru was so absorbed that he didn't notice Tsunade get up from her desk and walk over to the side room where the Third Hokage was waiting. She sat down just as Shikamaru shut the door.

"How'd it go?" she asked curiously.

The former Hokage shook his head, bemused. "I don't think I've seen anyone that focused since Minato was developing Hiraishin. Tsunade, that boy is more than just a genius. He's a prodigy."

Tsunade favored her beloved teacher with a wry grin. "So Asuma keeps telling me. I'll keep my judgment in reserve, for now. I'll be impressed if he shows that the Burning Shadow jutsu wasn't a one-time thing."

"Oh, I think time will prove that it wasn't a fluke. You don't find a mind like Shikamaru's every generation. Mark my words: that boy will change the world before he's done."

oOoOo

Ino wanted to cry, or throw things, or maybe set off a few explosive tags to vent her feelings. But because she was fifteen now, almost an adult, such behavior would only make her feel worse about herself. So she kept it all in, merely punching her pillow a few times without much force. If she imagined that it was Choji's face, well… who would know?

Why was he acting so _strange_? He'd been growing distant from her lately, and she hated it. Today wasn't the first time Ino had sensed some new awkwardness between them, and she had no clue what to do about it. She wanted to shake Choji by the neck until he went back to the sweet, open, friendly boy that she had always relied on to have her back.

Choji wasn't so much of a boy anymore, though. He almost had his full growth, standing mere inches below his father, and he was already strong enough to take on any chunin in the village. Ino's father told her that people changed when they became adults, but aside from growing stronger, Ino wanted everything to stay the way it had been. They were a good team, damn it! In the past, they hadn't even needed Ino's telepathy to read each others' minds – they just knew instinctively where there teammates would attack next, or how they were feeling. Now Choji was sometimes moody and terse, which was completely unlike him, and Ino didn't know _why_! She worried that she was beginning to lose a friend, one that had been by her side for eight years. Over half her life!

"Ino!" Her father's voice floated up from downstairs. "Get down here, there's a new mission from the Hokage!"

_Yes! _Ino pumped her fist in the air, glad at the chance of some action. No matter what was eating Choji, he still focused on every mission. Maybe pounding some bad guys would put him in a better mood. "Coming!"

She threw on her flak jacket and belt pouch and ran downstairs, where her father was waiting in the kitchen. Inoichi laughed at his daughter's eagerness.

"What is it?" she cried. "A B-rank? Any bandits or missing-nin to track down?"

"You won't get to smash any skulls on this mission, Ino," her father said drily. Then his voice became more serious, alerting Ino that something was different. "Sasuke's back."

A rush of stinging cold like a spray of ocean water brought Ino to a full stop. Sasuke…

Ever since he recovered from his injuries after trying to defect, he'd been on a long-term training trip with Kakashi. Tsunade said he needed to get his full strength back, and once Sasuke had learned that Naruto was on a training trip with Jiraiya, he'd jumped at the chance to have extended training of his own. Now he was coming back, and Ino realized that she had no idea how much Sasuke knew about his lost memory. What had Kakashi told him?

"So he's back," she said, trying for nonchalance. "Why should I care?"

"Because the Hokage wants you to see how he's doing. That's your mission – checking up on Sasuke. Apparently his training was very intense, because he's in the hospital for the next few days receiving treatment. The Hokage wants to be sure that your mind-wipe still holds, and she's decided that you're the one to tell Sasuke the cover story."

Ino caught her breath. The cover story was what the Hokage had made up to explain to Sasuke why he had gaping holes in his memory. It contained as much truth as possible, but it made no mention of Itachi or the Uchiha Massacre.

"_I _have to do it?" her voice broke on the last syllable. She imagined standing in the hospital room, looking at the boy who had tried to kill her and her teammates, lying to him about what had happened… it made her shudder. "Why?"

"The Hokage has her reasons," Inoichi said sadly. "I should know – I demanded that she explain them to me, before I agreed to let you do this. And I told her that if you weren't up to it, she'd better back off."

Her father had such a fierce glower on his face that Ino had to laugh. If she asked, Inoichi would face down anyone to protect her, even Tsunade. Knowing that her father had her back gave Ino the courage she needed. "That's all right, Dad," she said reluctantly. "I think I understand. I was the one who took his memory, so it's only right that I'm the one to make sure he doesn't know the truth. I'm kind of responsible for him, in a way. My only question is how am I supposed to be sure that he isn't getting suspicious? I can tell him the cover story about Orochimaru and the Curse Seal, but without going into his head again there's no way of knowing if he's convinced."

Inoichi's look of pride made Ino a little happier, even though she still wasn't looking forward to lying to her teammate. I'm glad you're thinking ahead, Ino. The Hokage anticipated that, which is why this isn't a solo mission. You'll be working together with Hinata, who's there as a member of the pursuit team to offer her testimony. At the same time, her mission will be to observe Sasuke as he listens to your story. Members of the Hyuga clan can detect the smallest changes in facial features, and if Sasuke gets suspicious of your story, Hinata will notice. The Hokage will decide what to do if that happens."

"I didn't know that the Hyuga could do that," Ino said, interested. "They must make very good spies."

"The best. Even if they can't read minds, they are much better than we are at seeing when someone is uncomfortable, suspicious, or angry."

"I get it," Ino said, feeling tired and older than her years. "It's up to Hinata and me to make sure that Sasuke doesn't go all revenge-crazy and betray the village again. I can handle it, I just want to get it over with as soon as possible. Should I meet Hinata at the hospital?"

"Yes, I believe she's waiting there already. You can leave anytime. And Ino," her father added, coming over to give her a hug, "this is one of the hardest things we can do as shinobi. Deceiving our enemies is standard procedure, but deceiving our friends can be soul-shattering. Keep your head up, and know that what you do is for the greater good of the village."

"I know that," Ino replied. "I just hope that it's for Sasuke's greater good as well. If he ever finds out we lied to him about his brother, I worry that we'd be right back where we started."

Inoichi nodded gravely. "An astute observation. But trust the Hokage – she is aware of the danger, and she's planning for it. The best thing you can do is carry out your orders, and try to be a friend to Sasuke as much as possible."

Ino hugged her father one last time, putting off the mission for a few more seconds. "Hey," she exclaimed, as a completely unrelated thought made its way to the forefront of her mind. "You're really good at understanding why people act the way they do, right?"

Inoichi watched her warily. "I suppose… the human mind _is_ my specialty, after all. Why?"

"Well, um…" she stammered, suddenly feeling shy. "Lately, Choji's been acting a little… weird. I mean, he actually _yelled_ at me today! He's never done that before."

"Choji did?" Inoichi asked with a grin. "Wow, you must have done something really bad!"

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" Ino protested. "I just offered to help him with the new food pills he's working on."

Inoichi raised one eyebrow skeptically. "That's all?"

"Yeah, I think… I mean, I said that it wouldn't take me long to learn enough to help, because I could learn what I needed to from his mind. That's when he yelled at me."

"Ah." A look of understanding spread across her father's face. "Ino, don't you think Choji is entitled to his privacy? Searching other peoples' minds is something we usually reserve for our enemies, or for extraordinary cases like Sasuke's. Not our allies."

"But we've always communicated mind-to-mind," Ino complained. "It's never been a problem before!"

"As I think I've told you before, people change. Choji's becoming a man now, and while he might not have minded you seeing his thoughts when he was a child, that could easily change. I can think of, ahem," Inoichi coughed, looking embarrassed, "_several_ reasons why Choji might react negatively to the idea of you knowing what's in his thoughts. For example, what if he likes a kunoichi in the village? If you saw that in his mind, it would be an inexcusable invasion of his privacy. He would have every right to be angry."

Ino laughed in spite of herself. "Choji? Liking a _girl_? That's ridiculous, dad."

Inoichi smiled in a way that made Ino suspect he was humoring her. "Why's that? Do you think he likes boys?"

"What?! No! It's just… he's _Choji._" She threw her hands up in frustration. How could she explain that to her father? The thought of Choji mooning after some girl, like Naruto had run after Sakura (or, a treacherous inner voice said, like she used to run after Sasuke), well – it was just wrong. Choji was like a mountain, immovable and eternal, utterly dependable. How could a mountain have a crush? It was absurd.

Inoichi's expression was deadpan, but the small lines at the corners of his eyes suggested that he was laughing at her. Ino scowled. "I don't know if you've noticed this," Inoichi said, "maybe you've been too close to Choji to see it. But he's growing into quite the handsome young man. I don't doubt that many of Konoha's young women have noticed, and he's getting to be the age where he'll notice them noticing. Believe me, Ino, when I was his age, I wouldn't want my teammates seeing what I was thinking either."

Ino blushed a deep red at her father's tone. He was deliberately teasing her, and it was _not_ funny!

Then Ino paused, wondering. Could it be true? Maybe Choji liked some girl, who didn't like him back – maybe she thought he was too chubby, even though he was clearly all muscle. Ino found herself growing quite angry at this hypothetical girl.

_Whoever she is, she's not good enough for Choji!_

"There's no way that's what's happening," Ino said stubbornly, not wanting to let her father see her doubts. "And even if it is, he'd better stop acting like such a dork. We've got missions to carry out, and we can't if he's ruining our teamwork with his moody bullshit."

"I'm not sure I understand you," Inoichi said after a moment, letting her cursing pass without comment. "I didn't think you were opposed to your teammates having romantic attachments. I mean, your sensei has been dating Kurenai practically before he met you, and I never heard you complain about that. I've even heard you hint that Shikamaru might be interested in Temari, and you said it was about the most romantic thing you'd ever heard."

"It's… it's not the _same!_" Ino cast about for a reason why it wasn't the same, but she couldn't think of one. Her father's expectant gaze only made her angrier, and finally she gave it up. "Gaah! I don't have time for this. If Choji wants to act like a donkey butt, it's none of my business. I have to go to the hospital and finish this stupid mission."

She stormed out, not saying goodbye to her father because she was still obscurely mad at him. She felt like he was laughing at her for some joke that she didn't understand. Slamming the door might have been a bit childish, but it definitely made her feel better.

Inoichi was left alone in the kitchen, a speculative gleam in his eyes. "So that's the way the wind blows, eh? I think Choza and I might need to have a little chat."

oOoOo

Ino found Hinata in the waiting room on the first floor of the hospital. Her friend waved at her, a thoughtful expression creasing her brow. Hinata looked worried, and Ino had to admit that she was, too. This would be the first time she'd seen Sasuke in over a year, and she had no idea how losing his memory had changed him. No one knew better than Ino that Sasuke deserved a second chance; after all, no one but Ino had ever seen Sasuke's darkest thoughts, seen the cycle of rage that had driven him away from his home. However, it was going to be truly difficult to see the innocent boy and not the homicidal traitor. Ino was glad to have Hinata along with her.

"Are you ready for this?" Ino asked Hinata. The Hyuga heir nodded confidently, reminding Ino just how much Hinata had grown. She was still a little shy, but these days she carried herself with poise and confidence. Whatever had happened between her and Neji on the Sasuke Retrieval mission had put some iron in her backbone. It was apparent to everyone, not just Hinata's teammates and friends. Rumor had it that she'd even faced down her father, Hiashi Hyuga, concerning his treatment of Neji. Looking at Hinata now, Ino found that she believed the rumor.

"I'm prepared," Hinata answered. She hefted a bouquet of flowers. "The Hokage told me that I'm there to wish Sasuke a speedy recovery, and to answer any questions he has about the retrieval mission. When you give him the cover story, I'm supposed to watch him for any signs of suspicion or disbelief. Since Sasuke is so used to having girls fawn over him, he probably won't think to suspect us of any duplicity."

Ino paused, the truth of that statement sinking in. Was that why Tsunade had sent them? …Of course it was. Ino felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before. Tsunade could have sent anyone to brief Sasuke; hell, she could have told him the story herself. But sending two girls his own age would put Sasuke off his guard, flatter his ego, and make him more receptive to the Hokage's version of the truth. Ino also realized that as far as Sasuke knew, she was still chasing after him like Sakura. Ino had never actually told Sasuke that she wasn't part of his fan club anymore, so Sasuke's scorn for her would lead him to underestimate her.

The Hokage was a truly crafty woman. Ino was willing to bet that Sakura had been sent to check up on Sasuke's physical wounds, just like Ino and Hinata were supposed to check on his mental and psychological well-being. Depending on how gullible Sasuke was, he might not think that Tsunade was keeping as close an eye on him as she actually was.

"We're both ready, then," Ino declared, "or as ready as we'll ever be. Let's go see Sasuke."

They headed up two flights of stairs after asking for directions from a medic-nin at the front desk. Sasuke was in a private room at the end of the hall. Hinata nodded to Ino one last time, giving silent encouragement, and then the two girls entered the room.

Sasuke was sitting up in bed, propped up by at least four oversized pillows. Even dressed in a hospital gown with IV tubing in his arm, it was clear that Sasuke had grown a lot during his training trip. He was still slender, but his muscles were more defined and he looked to have grown a few inches. He watched the two of them enter with sharp eyes, alert for sudden movement. Ino had a bad moment when she saw the black tomoe that formed Sasuke's Curse Seal peeking out from under his blue hospital gown – it was a short jump from seeing that Seal to remembering the monster it had turned Sasuke into. But she mastered her distaste and carried forward.

"They told me you were coming," Sasuke said, watching them both curiously. "You're supposed to tell me why I have these gaps in my memory. I don't understand why they picked _you_, though."

Ino's hackles rose instantly at the lack of respect his words implied. _Look down on _me, _will you? You arrogant prick._

Hinata saw her flash of anger and jumped forward to keep her from doing something rash. "Um… Sasuke… I brought you these flowers from our garden at home. I, um… I hope the medics clear you soon so you can get out of the hospital."

Sasuke waved away the flowers with one hand, not even looking at Hinata. Ino realized that not even a mind-wipe was enough to change Sasuke's manners, not that she had expected it to. Honestly, how could she have ever thought his rudeness was attractive? Choji would never have disregarded someone like that.

Hinata blushed a deep red, and brought the flowers back to hide her face. Ino practically jumped out of her shoes when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Hinata's byakugan activate.

_You sneaky thing! You knew all along Sasuke wouldn't take the bouquet, so now you're using it to hide your eyes while you watch his reaction to the story!_

Ino focused her attention back on Sasuke, ignoring Hinata's brilliant subterfuge. Sasuke pointed his finger at her. "Come on! I've waited a long time to figure out what happened, but all Kakashi ever said was that it wasn't his job to tell me, just to train me. Out with it!"

Ino sighed, mentally arranging all the parts of the cover story as laid out by Tsunade so many months ago. "I'll tell you. Just understand, a lot of this is going to seem kind of farfetched. But I'm telling you the truth, and if you want independent confirmation, the only other shinobi who were there when you lost your memory are Choji and Shikamaru. We briefed the Hokage and the Council, of course, but it was only the three of us who saw it first-hand. Well, us and an enemy of Konoha, and he's not really available to act as a witness."

Sasuke frowned, then motioned for her to go on with a small grunt. Ino cracked her knuckles. It was time to cut straight to the chase.

"You lost your memory because I erased it," she declared. She watched him for some reaction, but he gave nothing away. Nobody had ever said he was an idiot; missing memory and a Yamanaka nearby were two very big clues. So he'd figured out that much already.

"The reason I had to do that," she went on, "is that you were attempting to betray Konoha."

Sasuke's eyes lit up immediately, and Ino tensed. "I can't believe that," Sasuke said angrily. "I would _never_ turn my back on my village! I'm the only Uchiha left, so it's up to me to serve Konoha in my family's name! There's just no way I could do that!"

Ino paid close attention to his words, but she could only hear sincerity. She hoped that Hinata was hearing the same. "It wasn't your fault, Sasuke," she said firmly. The hope that came back into his eyes twisted her stomach. "You know that Curse Seal on your shoulder?"

His hand went automatically to his shoulder, and he grimaced. "Yeah. Kakashi caught up with Jiraiya and the two of them spent a week tinkering with it. It hurt like a bitch. Why?"

"Do you remember how you got it?" Ino asked cautiously. Sasuke should still have some memories of Orochimaru, although any words that Orochimaru had said referring to Itachi would be wiped from his mind.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, that creepy snake-guy in the Forest of Death. He gave me the Curse Seal. Does it have something to do with why I tried to betray the village?"

"Yeah. That Curse Seal didn't just affect your chakra, it started to mess with your mind as well. When we finally caught up to you and I saw your mind, it was clear that the poison was already spreading. It had almost driven you mad. It was all part of his plan to bring you to his side. He was going to steal your body and use your sharingan to learn all of the world's jutsu."

_It's almost true,_ Ino thought, trying to reassure herself. _Tsunade told us about Orochimaru's plans, so I'm not lying about that. It's just that the poison wasn't all from the Curse Seal. You were still close to going mad, Sasuke. What I did was for the best._

"So Orochimaru had already started destroying my mind… and you made me forget?" Sasuke said, his voice quiet. Ino could tell his thoughts were turning inward, poking at the holes in his memory like a child with a loose tooth. He sounded surprisingly humble when, a second later, he whispered, "thanks."

Ino almost winced, his gratitude like a knifepoint digging at her guilt. "You're welcome. It was a close thing, though. The Retrieval Squad had to fight Orochimaru's goons the whole way, and then at the end you almost killed Naruto, Choji, Shikamaru, and me."

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke switched from humble to playful. He gave an unrepentant grin. "Honestly, I'm surprised you all managed to stop me. I must have been tired from thrashing that idiot Naruto. No offense, Ino, but you're not in my league. Shikamaru's pretty smart, but he's lazy as hell and Choji is slower than molasses. Are you sure Jiraiya or Kakashi didn't catch up in time to take me out?"

"_Naruto's not-_"

"_Choji isn't-_"

Hinata and Ino both burst out at the same time, then stopped when they realized they were yelling over each other. Ino stared at Hinata, who was looking back at her curiously.

_Wait a second, _Ino thought, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Why didn't I feel the need to defend Shikamaru or myself? Why just Choji?_

It was Hinata staring back at her that supplied the answer. Hinata, who was usually shy except when it came to defending Naruto, the boy she… oh, Kami.

_Now_ Ino understood why her father had been laughing at her before. Now she knew why the thought of Choji liking some other girl was so fundamentally wrong. The realization left her stunned. When had she started to feel this way about him?

Sasuke's obnoxious laughter brought Ino out of her increasingly dizzying spiral of thought. "I'm just joking, Hinata. I know Naruto is strong – I sparred with him a few times when Kakashi and I met up with him and Jiraiya, and he's learned some new tricks."

Sasuke grimaced and rubbed his stomach gingerly, as if remembering something particularly painful. Ino wasn't sure which was more unexpected, the admission of Naruto's skill or the fact that Sasuke had just made a joke. This was the first time that Sasuke had shown signs that he might have a sense of humor, even if Ino didn't think it was particularly funny. Was this due to his missing memory? Would the Ice-Prince begin to thaw out, now that his desire for vengeance was no longer his driving force?

Sasuke looked up at Ino, and a sly smile tugged at his mouth. "I really do thank you for keeping me from betraying the village. Even if you only did it to keep me around."

Was Sasuke being… _flirtatious? _If Ino had been even two years younger, hearing something like that from Sasuke might have made her faint like Hinata. Now it just made her pissed.

"Are you serious right now? Your comrades almost _die_ to bring you back, and you have the nerve to turn it into a joke? I have news for you, Sasuke. The only one in this room who loves you is you. The next time you let some Curse Seal muddle your brain, see if we bring you back!"

She turned on her heel, too angry to reflect on the fact that a joking Sasuke was most likely preferable to an obsessed killer Sasuke. Hinata followed her out, the bouquet of flowers that she still held in front of her face serving to hide her quiet laughter. Sasuke watched them leave, mouth gaping, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Ino was enraged as she stomped through the hospital corridors, but by the time she stepped outside, Sasuke was forgotten. Instead, a muscular chunin with spiky brown hair and glowing armor filled her thoughts. Ino wanted to shriek with frustration.

Why, of all the shinobi in the world, did she have to like Choji? And how in the world was she going to face him tomorrow in training?

oOoOo

Later that night, Choji stood at attention in the Hokage's study. Tsunade watched him curiously, her head cocked to one side.

"Let me get this straight. You want a solo mission?"

"That's right," Choji affirmed. "I'm worried that I've become too reliant on Shikamaru to give the orders. As a chunin I need to be able to operate independently."

"I've seen no proof that your performance has suffered," Tsunade replied. "Are you sure that's really what's worrying you?"

Choji tried not to squirm under her discerning gaze. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

She held his eyes a moment longer, then nodded. "All right. If you say this is what you need, I'll believe you. It just so happens there's a low B-rank in need of a shinobi with your skill level. There's a village near the border that's being plagued by bandits. It seems at least one of the bandits is a shinobi of some ability. If you want, I'll put you in charge. Pick your team and pound some bad guys."

Choji couldn't stifle a sigh of contentment. _That_ was exactly what he was looking for. A straightforward mission, one which would give him some time to try and master his feelings. When he got back he could apologize to Ino, and do his best to make sure their team dynamic went back to normal.

"The mission may take a week or longer," Tsunade added as an afterthought. "The bandits know the land well, and you'll need to make sure that none of them escape. Are you all right with being away from the village for that long?"

_The longer the better. I will conquer this._

All he said was, "Absolutely, Hokage-sama."

"Then so be it. You can choose your squad and leave in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I apologize to everyone for the slow updates, not just on this but on all of my stories. It's only going to get worse, I'm afraid, because I'll be working on my thesis and a lot of other depressing real-life stuff. I'll update every now and again, but unfortunately I won't be able properly to focus on any of my projects until after I graduate. Don't give up on me, though: if I have to wait until June to start writing seriously, that just means I'll be more determined to make up for lost time.

So without further wasting of your time, here's the second chapter of **Shadows Ascending**_**.**_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 2: Separate Paths**

Choji started feeling happier the moment he left Konoha. The world became simpler, with only the mission to worry about. Well, that and one more thing.

When Choji picked his team, he decided to split his group between scouts and combat specialists. His scouts were Kiba and Neji, and Lee was the second combat specialist. However, Lee had somehow gotten it into his head that this was a "guys-only" mission, and he was excited in a way that was… well, downright creepy.

"Yosh! Four brothers-in-arms, out to set the world on fire with our Flames of Youth! There's nothing like a mission to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, and no girls or senseis to ruin the manly mood! Choij, let us arm-wrestle, and then we can go fishing! Do you know how to belch on command?"

Kiba glared at Lee, then Choji. "I blame you for this. Tenten would have been just as good as Lee, and a lot less creepy."

Neji only kept his eyes fixed on the ground, ignoring Lee with steadfast fortitude. Lee was unfazed, urging them to double speed so they would have more time when they made camp to do "guy stuff."

Neji's eyes crossed ever so slightly. He leaned over to Choji. "Let us never speak of this again."

Choji couldn't agree more. They just had to hold on for another day, when they would reach the village that had hired them. After that, Lee would start focusing. For now, they had no choice but to live with him as best they could.

At least, Choji thought, Lee's antics might help distract him from thinking about Ino. In his mind's eye he could still see her expression when he said he was leaving on a mission without her and Shikamaru. All of the hurt and betrayal that he'd wanted to avoid inflicting on her had flashed in her eyes for a brief second. But even worse was how she'd hidden it a second later, wishing him luck on the mission like nothing was wrong.

Choji came back to the present with a start, realizing that Neji was waiting expectantly for him to answer a question that he hadn't even heard. "Um… sorry Neji, what was that?"

"I asked," the older Hyuga said patiently, "what's our strategy once we get to the town?"

_That's right, _Choji reprimanded himself angrily, _focus on the mission._

"We don't know how many bandits there are or when they might attack," Choji said, glad to have a problem that took up his full attention. "So we have to assume the worst; they might even have assaulted the village after the message was sent to the Hokage. As a precaution, we'll split up before meeting our contact. I'll go in first with Kiba – Neji and Lee, you'll do a perimeter check and stay hidden. The bandits aren't supposed to be that strong, but there's no sense taking chances."

Neji nodded respectfully, which gave Choji a second's pause. The Hyuga genius had changed very much since the Chunin Exams. Before, he would have bitterly resented taking orders from someone he thought was below him. Choji supposed that beating Neji in the Tournament round might have increased the other boy's respect for him, but it was also that the anger that used to motivate Neji wasn't all there anymore. He would follow Choji's orders without question or even resentment, and Choji was fairly certain that meant Neji would be getting promoted soon. The Hyuga genius was an obvious choice for leadership; but first, he had needed to learn how to follow.

Choji almost laughed, thinking how much more trouble it would have been to get Ino to follow his orders- gah! Even when she was miles away, the damn girl wouldn't get out of his head! Right… this called for desperate measures.

"Hey, Lee!" he called out, putting on a burst of speed to catch up with his spandex-clad friend. "You're absolutely right – this is a guys-only mission, no question! Let's forget about girls and hang out, bro-style!"

"Yosh, that's the spirit!" Lee crowed. He clapped his hands together, his eyes lighting with enthusiasm. "First, let's see who can spit the farthest! Then we shall lift heavy objects and complain about our girlfriends!"

"You don't have a girlfriend, Lee," Neji said drily. "None of us do." Kiba said nothing, too busy dodging the ball of spit that Lee had accidentally sent too close to him.

Kiba looked at Choji with hurt in his eyes. "How could you do this to us?" he whispered brokenly.

oOoOo

Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh, rummaging through the pile of unfurled scrolls on the table. He'd taken full advantage of the Third Hokage's permission to root through the archives, and now the results of his search were spread out in his room. Diagrams of chakra flow and energy equations covered every available surface of his room, and already he'd used up the money from his last few missions on brushes and clean parchment to use for his notes.

He was beginning with the basic techniques of Konoha, trying to understand exactly how they worked. It was easy enough to use them, but to change or improve jutsu required much deeper knowledge. Currently Shikamaru was focusing on the clone jutsu, one of the required techniques in the Academy. Shikamaru had thought that mastering this jutsu, the simplest one in Konoha's arsenal, would be the work of minutes. But that naïve expectation had died out somewhere around five hours ago, as new knowledge showed Shikamaru just how much he had left to learn.

The clone jutsu was a strange piece of ninjutsu, once you examined it closely. It acted much like a genjutsu, in that it created an illusion that was meant to fool an enemy. But the illusion existed in reality, not just as a figment of an opponent's imagination. Not only that, but clones could follow orders that only existed in the mind of the shinobi who used the technique. Clones had no intelligence, but somehow when they were created they retained the orders that their casters were thinking at the exact moment of creation. That was how clones knew whether to charge an enemy, or pretend to retreat. Clones were an illusion, but they were not just an illusion. And if Shikamaru wanted to alter or even improve clones, he had to figure out exactly how that mental link between a shinobi and a clone was created. He had a sneaking suspicion that this line of thinking was what had led former Konoha shinobi to create Shadow Clones – they retained a mental link to their creator even after they were destroyed, and they could reason independently. Those traits were even more impressive than the fact that Shadow clones had substance, when you thought about it. The only problem with Shadow Clones was the immense power they required, so much so that only jonin – and Naruto, of course – had the necessary chakra reserves.

Shikamaru suddenly had a vision of a clone technique that could transmit data to its creator without needing to possess a solid form. Every genin in the Academy could possess the ability to scout ahead without risking an ambush! It would increase the combat effectiveness of genin by at least 30%, if Shikamaru was remembering the last round of evaluations from the Academy correctly.

The headache that had been plaguing Shikamaru for the last hour or so sent a fresh twinge of pain through his skull. He grimaced, then took a deep swig from the pot of coffee he'd brewed earlier. It had long since gone cold, but the caffeine would still do its work. He could sleep when he figured this out – there just wasn't enough _time_!

His mother's voice floated up the stairs, clearly annoyed. "Shikamaru, are you _still_ awake?"

Shikamaru looked at the clock mounted on the wall: it was 4am. "Mom, what are you doing still up?" he shouted crossly. How could expect to get anything done with all these interruptions?

"That's _my _line!" Yoshino screamed up at him. "I'm coming up those stairs, and if you're still awake when I get there I'm going to beat the living snot out of you!"

Shikamaru gave a long-suffering sigh. His mother just didn't understand that some things were more important than eight hours of sleep. It was the cost of being a genius – you were doomed to be unappreciated. Still, even if he'd wanted to, he was in no condition to win a fight against his mother. He'd best surrender now, while he still had his dignity.

It took several seconds to navigate through the forest of parchment that blocked his way to the lamp, but he managed to snuff it out and be in bed by the time Yoshino barged through the door.

"Well now," she said, amused. "It seems like even the high and mighty Shikamaru knows when to listen to reason." Her voice softened, and in the dim light from the hallway Shikamaru saw what he thought might have been a smile. "Get some rest, son. You've been training every day, and now you're trying to substitute coffee for sleep. It's just not sustainable. You're of no use to anyone if you kill yourself. Got that, punk?"

Shikamaru tried to glare at her, but it didn't affect Yoshino in the slightest. He sighed in defeat. "All right, Mom. I just got a little… carried away, I guess. I'll try not to go overboard."

"Now that's the most sensible thing I've heard all day. As a reward, I'll let you in on a little secret... it seems the Hokage is expecting the Ambassador from Suna tomorrow."

Shikamaru gave his best uninterested yawn. "Yeah, so?"

"Don't try that 'cool guy' act with me, young man," Yoshino said. "I've seen the puppy dog eyes you give that girl. Say hello to her for me, all right? You should bring her around the house for dinner some time."

"_Mom!_" Shikamaru complained. She chuckled evilly, walked out of the room, and closed the door gently behind her.

With the darkness to hide him, Shikamaru felt it was safe to stop fighting the small smile tugging at his lips. He'd never show it in front of his mother, but the prospect of seeing Temari tomorrow made falling asleep quickly seem like the best idea he'd heard all day.

oOoOo

Ino was not angry at the tree. But you couldn't tell that from looking at it. In fact, if the only evidence you had to go on was the pile of severed branches at the base of the trunk, which was covered in gashes penetrating deeply into its tough bark, you'd have thought that the tree had managed to offend Ino very deeply indeed.

With a slow, steady inhalation, Ino gathered and shaped a burst of chakra, holding it first in the hollow behind her navel and then bringing it up through her chakra network to mingle with the air in her lungs. She exhaled mightily, a quick hand sign forcing the air into the shape she desired: a razor-sharp wedge, propelling itself forward toward the helpless tree. As she exhaled, Ino imagined all of her emotions leaving her body, carried aloft by the chakra-enhanced wind.

The result was impressive, even after a day of nonstop training. The wind attack sliced into the trunk, gouging a chunk of wood large enough for a substitution jutsu. Ino gave a satisfied sigh. She might not be able to master Change in Chakra Nature for wind, like Asuma-sensei could, but her regular Wind-type techniques were still powerful. If she could do that much damage to a tree, a human body would pose little challenge. Gone were the days when Ino had to rely on Mind Possession as her only ninjutsu technique. Now she had a range of offensive capabilities, and her refined chakra control made her adept at attacking with deadly currents of wind.

Her only problem now was range – Wind attacks lost strength quickly the farther they traveled, much quicker than Earth or even Water. Ino wished she could ask Temari for some tips, but she had promised herself not to pester the fiery blonde from Suna until she had enjoyed some time alone with Shikamaru.

Ino scowled, and scuffed her boot into the dirt. She honestly liked Temari, but it was hard not to resent her for the casual way in which she effortlessly captivated Shikamaru, distracting him even from his friends. It was like he was a compass, and she was due north. Whenever Temari was around, Ino's long-time friend transformed from a military genius into a lovestruck puppy. Not that Shikamaru was obvious; in fact, to someone less familiar with the Nara boy than Ino, his behavior towards Temari was borderline rude.

The two of them bickered non-stop when they were together, and Shikamaru would probably deny any serious attachment at the top of his voice if anyone were to accuse him of liking the Suna Ambassador. But Shikamaru couldn't fool Ino. The boy was hooked, and she knew it.

That was why Ino was training in Training Area 17, far from the area where she normally sparred with Shikamaru and Choji. She wanted to give Temari and Shikamaru their space, so they could bicker with some privacy.

It was hard to be alone though, especially when Ino considered how completely at ease Shikamaru was with Temari. To Ino's experienced ear, their constant arguing was so happy and carefree that it made Ino want to laugh and cry at the same time. The two of them understood each other so well that they could go weeks without seeing each other, and then pick up exactly where they left off.

Ino knew better than most people what it was like to be in someone else's head, but for once she wanted that kind of closeness without having to use her clan techniques. Someone who knew instinctively when she was sad, rejoiced with her when she was happy, and cared for her more than anyone else. But now when Ino thought about such a person, only one face came into her mind. It was a face that was normally kind, full of strength and compassion, yet it had looked so cold and set when saying goodbye only days before.

Ino kicked viciously at one of the branches lying near her feet. It had only been three days since her revelation at the hospital, when she'd discovered to her surprise that she liked Choji – as more than just a teammate. It was a startling discovery, and what made it worse was that the next day Choji had left on the first solo mission in Team Asuma's history.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ino had said, excited at the prospect of leaving the village. "I'll tell Shikamaru. We'll meet you at the gate in an hour."

"No, Ino, don't bother. I'm going with Kiba, Neji, and Lee. It's nothing that you guys did, I just… need to figure some things out for myself." Ino had been completely unable to figure out the expression on his face, so different from his usual good humor and compassion. She narrowly resisted the urge to look inside his mind, just to find out what it was that was going on.

For a horrible second, Ino had thought that maybe Choji had guessed how she felt about him, and was leaving because it was too awkward for him to be near her. But that was preposterous, she realized – after all, Ino hadn't even known herself how she felt about Choji. Whatever Choji's reason for leaving, watching him leave Konoha, armor flashing in the sun, cut Ino deeper than any kunai.

Now she wanted nothing more than to ask Shikamaru what was going on; if anyone knew why Choji was acting so strangely, it would be Shikamaru. But until he'd had a chance to reconnect with Temari, Ino didn't want to burden him with her worries. Then there was also the chance that Shikamaru, always observant, would figure out Ino's uncomfortable new secret, and Ino wasn't sure how she felt about that. There would be time to ask Shikamaru's advice, but first Ino needed to make sure that she knew, _really_ knew, how she actually felt.

At the moment, the main thing Ino felt was exhaustion. She'd experienced such a constant fluctuation of emotion in the past few days that she felt drained, like a wet rag all wrung out. Training helped by replacing mental exhaustion with physical exhaustion, but that was only a small improvement. Ino knew that when she was preoccupied with something, she tended to lose her temper more easily with the people around her. The extra training was not just to take her mind off Choji, but also to keep herself from snapping at her parents or her friends.

Trees never complained no matter how hard you beat them up. It was one of the things that Ino liked most about them. She was just about to begin cleaning up the branches she'd sheared off when she sensed someone nearby, watching her.

She rolled low and away, coming to her feet with kunai in hand, facing the threat. With a start, she recognized the pale and impossibly smug face of Uchiha Sasuke. In her surprise she almost launched a kunai at him, but his hands were held high to show he that he meant no threat, and Ino caught herself at the last second.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she shouted at him, too shocked to think about reining in her temper. "I could have killed you!"

"Hn." A short grunt, carefully neutral, yet Ino clearly understood it to mean, _fat chance_. Her nostrils flared, her anger surging anew. Sasuke didn't react, except for the hint of a smile that crinkled his eyes. He pointed at the tree Ino had been venting her feelings on for the better part of the afternoon. "You know, they say we're the Village Hidden in the Leaves for a reason. If you keep this up, there'll be no leaves left."

"Just worry about yourself, Uchiha," Ino snarled. "I'm in no mood for your jokes."

A different part of her mind asked, _And when did it become normal for Uchiha Sasuke to make jokes?_

Sasuke walked closer, casually, his dark eyes watching her intently. "I'm aware of that. I think the whole village is aware of it. These last few days, I think there's actually been a thundercloud hanging over your head. Dogs bark when you come their way, and children flee in fear. What's the matter – is it that time off the month?" He smirked, clearly very pleased with his wit.

Ino sighed. She almost preferred the old, brooding Uchiha to this arrogant prick. Well… he'd always been arrogant. Now he was just louder about it.

"Hilarious," Ino said, rolling her eyes. "You should become a stand-up comedian. You'd have them rolling in the aisles. Mind sharpening your wit somewhere else? I've heard that stupid is contagious."

Sasuke's face scrunched up in a weird way, and it took Ino a second to figure out that the Uchiha heir was actually _laughing_. Amusement looked strange on his face. "Maybe it is," he said after a moment. "I mean, I'm sure I was smarter before I landed on a team with Naruto. But you'll have to risk it, because I came here to talk with you."

"What do you want?"

"I want to learn more about Orochimaru," Sasuke said bluntly. His eyes became darker, flashing with a cold light that reminded Ino of how he'd been before. "He's still out there, or the Hokage wouldn't have packed me off to train in the middle of nowhere with Kakashi. Wherever he is, he's probably still after me, and I remember next to nothing about him. Since you're the one who erased my memory, I figure you're the best person to fill in those blanks."

He gave her a crooked smile. "I'll even apologize for saying you guys shouldn't have been able to beat me…" his challenging gaze clearly said, _even though it's true_.

The apology was an unexpected concession from Sasuke, but Ino was not about to let that silent arrogance slide without a word. "You know, it's exactly that sense of overconfidence that led to you getting taken out by Orochimaru's goons," Ino said angrily.

Sasuke's eyes flashed again, this time in pure anger. Underneath his new lighter, joking exterior, it appeared he was still very much convinced of his superiority.

"I see," Ino said, nodding sharply. "You think if you hadn't fought Naruto first, we could never have beaten you?"

His set expression answered for him, though he didn't say a word. Ino spoke on, too angry to reflect that they probably _wouldn't_ have stood a chance if they'd fought Sasuke's Curse Form when he was at the height of his strength. "It was teamwork that you turned your back on, and it was teamwork that brought you back. I know you love being the lone wolf, but in the end it only makes you weak."

"If teamwork's so great, then where's your team?" Sasuke shot back. "I don't see anyone else out here."

Ino flinched, that jibe hitting a little too close to the mark for comfort. Still, she wasn't going to let him have the last word. "The best thing you can do to prepare for Orochimaru is realize that you're not the best shinobi out there," she said, pointing her finger at Sasuke. "You're not even close. And every time you take on the world alone, it's up to us to clean up your mess."

Sasuke was now actively keeping his anger in check, his fists clenched by his sides. "I'll admit I'm not the best when someone shows me otherwise," he said finally. "If I could rely on my teammates, I would. Naruto at least has potential, but he's away for at least another few months. Who else is on my level? Sakura?" He laughed with gentle scorn. "No way. Truth is, there's no one except possibly Neji who can hold a candle to me, and after my training with Kakashi I doubt even Neji could keep up. If I want to get strong enough to fight shinobi like Orochimaru, I need to look elsewhere."

That was the kind of thinking that had driven Sasuke to look to Orochimaru for power, and hearing him say that gave Ino the chills. At the same time she felt her ire rising – what gave Sasuke the right to assume that he was above everyone else? Hadn't she been training just as hard as he had?

"You'll only accept teammates who can beat you in a spar?" Ino demanded. "That's understandable, even if it's stupid. What about medic nins, or trackers? There are a thousand types of techniques that are great to have on a team, though they can't beat you in straightforward combat. But even if you're determined to hold to your idiocy, there are shinobi in our year who could beat you in a spar. Hell, I could do it myself."

"Ha!" Sasuke's short bark of laughter was completely unintentional, and it goaded Ino beyond her ability to keep herself in check.

"That's it," she said, palming her kunai with quick motions of her hands. "Let's do this. I'm tired of your crap."

Sasuke waved his hands in front of his face, smiling in the most condescending way imaginable. "Look, I know it's probably a dream of yours to spar with me, but I'm not the kind of guy to beat up on a girl-"

"Shut up," Ino snarled. "Do you think I'm still the Academy girl who fought over the seat next to yours? People grow up, Sasuke, even if you never have. I feel nothing for you now except pity."

He covered his surprise well, but Ino could see it all the same. Apparently it had really never occurred to him that one of his fangirls could fall out of love with him. Ino settled into her fighting stance, knowing that this was one fight from which she was definitely not backing down.

"Come on, Uchiha. You say no one in Konoha has anything to teach you. Prove it: right here, right now. But if I win, you admit that teamwork is a better strategy than your lone wolf bullshit."

Sasuke snorted, now truly angry. "If you beat me, I'll admit whatever the hell you want," he spat, assuming the traditional opening stance of the Uchiha taijutsu style. "Just remember you started this, so don't blame me once you come to regret it."

"As if." Even as Ino responded to Sasuke's taunt, her mind was racing ahead, trying to figure out how to make good on her boast. The most important thing was to neutralize Sasuke's sharingan, so that he couldn't anticipate her attacks. He was no doubt naturally faster than she was, and with the benefit of the sharingan a taijutsu battle would definitely go against her. The sharingan would also neutralize most genjutsu, so she couldn't even the playing field in the way she was used to – Sasuke could shrug off most of the weapons in her arsenal without even moving.

But Ino was by no means unprepared. In fact, ever since retrieving Sasuke nearly two years ago, Ino had been – _very_ quietly – working with Shikamaru on strategies designed to neutralize the natural advantage given by the sharingan. This training was not, as one might have expected, aimed at fighting Sasuke. No, Ino had a different target in mind. She kept returning to the problem of the sharingan because she believed that one day, she and her friends would come up against Uchiha Itachi. On that day, they would all need to fight beyond their wildest dreams, if what she'd seen in Sasuke's memories was even a fraction of Itachi's power. This fight, however it had started, would be an opportunity to see how well Shikamaru's ideas worked against a wielder of the sharingan.

"_3…2…1… Go!_" Ino sprang back to give herself more room, scowling when Sasuke remained exactly where he was, his face a mask of utter scorn.

_You bastard, _Ino thought, her pulse racing. _I'll show you exactly what happens to people who underestimate me_.

oOoOo

_I think we underestimated them_, Choji thought worriedly, scanning the countryside in all directions. There was little cover here, far from the towering trees surrounding the village of Konoha, yet the bandits he was hunting were nowhere to be found. Worse, Kiba was late to check in. Choji had sent the Inuzuka out hours ago with orders to sniff out their targets.

They had reached the village the day before, and had just enough time to sleep before they set out in search of the bandits. The villagers had not been very pleased to see that Konoha had sent shinobi who were little older than boys, and the exuberant attitudes of Kiba and Lee had dried up quickly in the face of the obvious suffering of the townspeople. From the fresh markers in the graveyard, it was clear that the bandits stole lives as well as livelihoods.

Although they had joked and bantered on the road, now they were all business. The honor of their village required that they destroy these bandits before any more villagers could be harmed.

According to the village headman who'd hired Choji, the bandits were holed up somewhere close by, close enough to strike frequently at the semi-prosperous mining village. With Kiba's unique talents as a scout, he shouldn't have had any trouble detecting the bandits and reporting back without being noticed. He'd set out in front of the group, Akamaru with him. However, the sun was starting to lower in the sky, and still there was no sign of boy or hound. One didn't need to be a genius of Shikamaru's caliber to realize that Kiba's continued absence was a very bad sign.

Neji ranged many yards ahead of Choji and Lee, but Choji wasn't willing to let the Uchiha genius get too far from the group. If Kiba had been ambushed, there was no telling whether or not Neji would fall for the same trap. And anyone who could successfully take an Inuzuka by surprise would have some tricks up his or her sleeve. So Choji kept his teammates close, but he moved across the rolling hills with a burning haste. With each new rise, he told himself that they would find Kiba. They had to – he refused to think about the alternative.

A surprised shout from Neji commanded Choji's instant attention. If Neji had lost his self-control enough to cry out, then whatever was coming, Choji wasn't going to like it.

"It's Akamaru," Neji called back urgently. Lee caught his breath, while bit off a swear word. What good would it do, after all? The three Konoha shinobi raced forward, meeting Kiba's hound at the crest of the next hill. Akamaru was panting raggedly, and blood matted his fur in patches. The hound barked twice, the sound sending a pang of fear through Choji's heart.

Lee was the fastest, scooping Akamaru into his arms without missing a step. "Show the way, Akamaru!" Lee yelled, and the three teammates pushed themselves to greater speeds. Akamaru whimpered slightly, but fought through the pain of his injuries and kept his snout pointed resolutely towards the northeast.

With his byakugan activated, Neji was the first to see Kiba. His eyes pierced through a lightly forested hill, and he reported to Choji with worry in his voice. "He's surrounded," Neji exclaimed. "There's five of them left that I can see. He's reaching the brink of chakra exhaustion!"

Choji said nothing, only motioned to Lee with a hand sign that initiated a flanking maneuver. Lee shed his weights during a long leap, and when he landed he put on a burst of speed in the direction that Choji indicated. For himself, Choji popped a food pill into his mouth and swallowed without chewing. The burst of chakra made his legs go even faster, and he started gathering the chakra for an Earth-style jutsu that would make these bandits realize their mistake. He, Neji, and Lee would hit them like the wrath of Kami – there was no time for subtlety anymore, not with Kiba outnumbered.

With Neji at his side, Choji burst through the screen of trees and came into a low clearing, where Kiba was surrounded by four men and one woman. Two corpses were strewn carelessly on the ground, one missing most of his torso from an explosion and the other displaying horrific gashes across his neck and stomach. Kiba was bleeding from numerous wounds, but he stood his ground, and from the wary looks his opponents were giving him they had learned to respect his strength. Choji prepared to unleash his attack and take the bandits from behind. Before he could, a harsh laugh came from the throat of the largest rogue shinobi, whose back was to Choji.

"So the rest of the fools have arrived," he said in a harsh voice that carried easily. "It's about time. I heard you five minutes ago. It was tough keeping my associates in check, but I wanted you to be here to watch your comrade die."

"It's you who's going to die," Choji said, almost choking on his fury. _Calm down_, came Shikamaru's voice in Choji's mind, so clearly Choji almost thought that he was actually there. _He's just trying to get inside your head. Don't let him._

The important part of the bandit leader's speech hit him suddenly – he'd heard them coming. He must be some kind of sensor shinobi, which would explain how he'd managed to set up an ambush without tipping Kiba off. Enhanced hearing… Choji had encountered shinobi with that particular ability before. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

The bandit leader turned to face him, contemptuously ignoring Kiba, who staggered a step in his exhaustion. Choji saw that he was facing a man who couldn't be much over thirty, with a fierce glint in his eyes and the rush of battle alight in his face. The man wore a mesh shirt that barely stretched to cover bulging muscles, and on his hands he wore bulky leather gloves reinforced with metal inserts and covered with strange markings. Around the man's waist was a thick purple rope, tied in a careless knot that brought a thousand memories rushing back for Choji.

That rope had been the signature emblem of Otogakure, worn by every servant of Orochimaru. This mission was now A-rank, at the very least. However, mission classification was not currently very high on Choji's list of things to worry about.

The bandit leader followed Choji's glance and laughed. "So you know what this means, do you?" he called out, resting one hand on the rope. "Then maybe you'll be good for a bit of sport. I think I'm going to enjoy this." When he clenched his fists, his gloves sent twin bursts of fire into the air.

Choji watched with despair as the Otogakure shinobi's followers took up positions, hemming Kiba in even more closely. The Inuzuka didn't have enough energy left to fight them off – it was up to Choji and his teammates to get to him before this turned into a hostage situation. Worst of all, Choji had no idea how strong this mysterious Oto shinobi was.

_You led your team here, _Choji thought grimly. _So it's up to you to get them home. Shikamaru's not here to save you this time_.

"Neji," Choji said, not taking his eyes away from the bandit leader. "I only have one order."

"What's that?"

"Leave the big one to me."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **A little bit of action this chapter, and a little bit of plot. I have everything planned out for a while, but updates will be slow because of school and applications for jobs. Why does college have to end?! Please review, as it will distract me from the rapid approach of the real world.

Also, I'm sure that the grammar errors in this chapter are really distracting, and I promise to fix them… soon. I'll do a proper revision in a few days, but since it's been so long since my last update I decided it would be better to post right away.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 3: An Unpleasant Sound**

Choji was living his worst nightmare. His team was outnumbered and his tactical options were severely limited. Kiba was swaying on his feet, and from the gray sheen of his face it seemed he'd already used his clan techniques to the point of chakra exhaustion. Judging from the bodies at his feet, Kiba had fought well against overwhelming odds. However, five enemy shinobi were still between Choji and Kiba, and they looked determined to avenge their fallen comrades. If Choji attacked without thinking, he would only get his friend killed.

There was one thing that gave Choji hope, and that was a boy in green spandex. Choji knew he wasn't quick enough to get past five shinobi and rescue Kiba, but Lee… Lee was fast enough. He _had _to be fast enough. Kiba caught Choji's eye and nodded grimly, signaling that he was ready to act. Choji acknowledged Kiba with a slight twitch of his hand. They would only get one chance.

The enemy leader was watching Choji with a wide smirk. "Waiting for your little friend?" he called out. "He's almost finished flanking us – not exactly subtle, is he? I could hear him before you even crested that hill. It's a shame, really. If he was smarter, he'd run away and save his miserable hide."

The idea of Lee running away was so ludicrous that Choji had to laugh. He sensed Neji tensing at his side, ready to spring. "I want to introduce you to my friend," Choji said, raising his voice so it would carry beyond the clearing, to where Lee would be waiting. "He's a little shy around strangers, but I think for you he'll make an exception. Lee, _now!_"

Choji charged, aiming straight for the leader. Neji cut in at a different angle, throwing kunai with pinpoint accuracy to keep the bandits busy deflecting and dodging. Kiba proved that he wasn't finished yet by taking a brace of explosive tags from his belt pouch. He whirled and threw, sending the tagged kunai at each of his assailants. The explosions forced everyone to jump backwards, at which point Lee made his entrance.

He came leaping through the smoke, looking like a green beast in truth, and not even his bowl cut diminished how beautiful he looked to Choji's eyes. With a speed that Choji could only envy, Lee delivered a sweeping round of spinning kicks to the three shinobi nearest Kiba. At the same time, Neji closed with the fourth bandit, a woman with close-cropped red hair and a vicious snarl. She displayed impressive reflexes by turning away three of Neji's strikes, but his fourth clipped her shoulder and locked her entire arm. His next strike caught her in the stomach, and she dropped bonelessly.

As for Choji, he was getting a different vibe from the leader of the enemy shinobi. Just from the purple rope around his waist, it was clear he wasn't your average bandit or deserter. He was, or had been, one of Orochimaru's henchmen, and from the killing intent he was radiating Choji had to believe that he was special jounin level or higher. So instead of closing with the bandit, who was grinding his strange gloves together with anticipation, Choji unleashed the Earth-style jutsu he'd been preparing. It used all of the energy he'd built up by eating the smallest of the Akimichi food pills, and sent an avalanche of rock and soil directly toward his opponent.

The bandit leaped away, dodging with ease. That was fine with Choji; the important thing was to get everyone away from Kiba. Choji joined Neji and took up a defensive position beside Lee. The three bandits who had suffered Lee's Konoha Whirlwind strike picked themselves up, already considerably bruised. They circled around to regroup with their leader, eyeing the Konoha shinobi with wary respect.

"That's one down," Choji whispered, eyeing the fallen redhead. "Is she dead?"

"No," said Neji, his voice cold. "She'll live if she receives medical attention in the next few days. I didn't know if you'd want her for questioning later."

"Thoughtful of you," Choji said drily. "But don't worry about the small fry. It's only the boss we need alive. Taking him back to Konoha is our only priority – I'm declaring this an A-rank mission as of now."

Lee scowled. "So he is from Otogakure. I thought we already beat some sense into those unyouthful scoundrels."

Choji shook his head. "Apparently not. I guess preying on the weak is a natural step for scum like this, especially once their leader abandoned them to their own devices. We need to bring the leader back to Tsunade – maybe he knows something about Orochimaru's whereabouts, or what happened to all of the defeated Otogakure shinobi.

Choji remembered Kiba's injuries, which brought him back from thoughts about Konoha's number one enemy. "Kiba, are you all right?"

"I'll live. Don't worry about me – I can still fight." Kiba grinned fiercely, but the lines of pain around his eyes betrayed him.

"Forget that," Choji declared. "You're done today, and that's an order." He smiled to take the sting out of his words. "Your body count is high enough already – leave some for the rest us, why don't you?"

Kiba barked a laugh, which turned into a wince. "Whatever you say, Captain. It's all you."

"You brats are certainly feeling cocky, now that the numbers are looking a little more even." The Oto shinobi's voice brought their hurried conversation to an abrupt halt. "But even if you're not outnumbered, you're still outmatched. And now you've managed to really piss us off. We're going to make your deaths slow – you can count on that."

The three remaining henchmen spread out, circling warily to get behind the Konoha shinobi. Choji kept his attention fixed on the leader in the mesh suit, whose gloves were glowing red. The man was a threat, Choji could feel it. He didn't want to take any chances with this one.

"Neji," he said, not looking away from his opponent. "Let's take out the leader."

"And the others?" Neji asked, although his tone made it clear he wasn't worried. He knew what Lee was capable of even more than Choji did.

"Nothing you can't handle, right, Lee?"

"Yosh! I'm insulted you even have to ask! Three-to-one odds is nothing compared to the burning passion of my Flames of Youth! If I don't defeat them in less than a minute I'll run sixty laps around Konoha on my hands!"

"Just be careful, Lee," Choji cautioned. "They're chuunin level, and used to working together."

From behind him, Choji felt a sudden explosion of chakra. He turned slightly, catching a glimpse of Lee as his veins began to bulge and his skin gained a reddish hue. The power he was generating was shocking at such close quarters, and Choji realized that Lee must have opened at least one of the Celestial Gates. The three bandits who had been circling them stopped moving, their jaws dropping in concert.

Lee gave Choji his signature "Nice Guy" pose. When he spoke, his voice was a harsh rasp that sent chills down Choji's spine. "Is this careful enough?"

Then he was gone, disappearing so quickly he left a greenish after-image in his wake. Choji mentally crossed the henchmen off his list of things to worry about.

That left only one. Choji and Neji advanced together on the leader, who had watched Lee's transformation with an astonishing lack of concern. "You Konoha bastards really do have some tricks up your sleeves, don't you?" he said, grudgingly impressed. "Do you know how hard it is to find decent henchmen in this country? It's going to take me months to get a good crew together after this."

"That should be the least of your worries," Neji said, dropping into his clan's traditional taijutsu stance.

"You talk big," the bandit spat, "but now it's my turn." He pounded his gloves together, and a spurt of fire emitted from the palms. Then, with speed equal to Lee without his weights, the bandit charged Neji.

Choji could do nothing but watch as Neji advanced to meet the attack – if he threw a kunai he was as likely to hit Neji as the Oto nin. But Neji was a Hyuuga, and more than that, he was a genius. Choji knew there were very few fighters who could surprise Neji, and even fewer who stood a chance at beating him.

That made what happened next all the more horrifying.

As the bandit closed, his fists outstretched, Neji shifted his balance to prepare for a strike. He had seen the bandit's gloves create fire seemingly from thin air, and so he was prepared when the bandit's first uppercut generated a wave of fire five feet tall. Neji dodged to the left, but the bandit was already moving with a follow-up jab. The glove on his left hand glowed blue, and this time a whip of water materialized as if from nowhere, acting exactly like a Water-release jutsu. Neji was too close to dodge, and the whip wrapped around his right arm.

The bandit made a fist with his right hand, and his glove began to crackle with electricity. Choji leapt forward, surprise warring with horror, but it was already too late. The Oto nin touched the water jutsu with his electrified hand, and the current jumped straight through, conducted by the water into Neji's arm.

The Hyuuga's white eyes rolled up in their sockets, and he slumped to the ground, motionless.

oOoOo

Even as she retreated to a safer distance, Ino cursed herself for her quick temper. Getting into a fight with Sasuke was extremely stupid, no matter how you looked at it. First, it was unprofessional to lose her temper with a fellow Konoha shinobi, even if he was a colossal prick. Second, nothing would be more embarrassing than picking a fight, and then _losing_. And truthfully, that was the more likely outcome of this match.

Sasuke's sharingan allowed him to match the speed of shinobi with far more experience. He'd spent more than a year shaping his power under Kakashi's tutelage, and his physical strength and stamina was undoubtedly superior to Ino's. What was worse, he could break most of her genjutsu with little effort thanks to his sharingan. Depending on how far he had progressed, he might even be able to copy them and turn them back on Ino.

But Ino had two thing going for her. First, she had trained for this with Shikamaru, and knew how to minimize the sharingan's strengths. Second, Sasuke was still underestimating her. He was waiting in the same spot he'd been when she began the match, arms crossed. He was taunting her, damn him!

As long as she didn't lose her cool, Ino could win this. She just had to think like Shikamaru. Sasuke's own over-confidence would do half the work for her.

The first step was to negate the natural advantage of the sharingan. Unlike the byakugan, the sharingan couldn't see through physical obstructions. Ino grabbed a double handful of smoke pellets from her belt pouch – it was her entire stash, so she had to make this diversion count. She threw the pellets around Sasuke, blanketing the entire clearing in a thick screen of white smoke.

Ino threw a brace of shuriken with concussive tags into the heart of the smoke. They weren't likely to catch Sasuke by surprise, but the loud sounds would disguise the sound Ino made as she dashed around the clearing as fast as she could propel herself. She stopped briefly in trees ringing the clearing, each time throwing more concussive or explosive tags to keep Sasuke occupied with dodging. With each stop Ino set up a remote-trigger trap with several kunai, rigging the trap to a ninja wire that she trailed behind her.

It was a sloppy trap, impossible to aim precisely and easy to trigger by accident, but its purpose was solely for distraction. Ino had learned from Shikamaru that the sound of a trap closing is one of the best distractions to use against a shinobi, even if the trap itself isn't capable of killing anyone, because shinobi were so conditioned to expect traps that it made their response predictable. Ino hoped Sasuke would prove to be no exception.

By now the smoke was beginning to thin around the edges, and Ino had to move if she didn't want Sasuke to realize what she'd been doing around the edges of the clearing. She jumped from the last tree, throwing the last of her explosive tags. That was the worst thing about using ninja tools – they were useful while you had them, but they ran out far too soon. Ino wondered if she should see about visiting that scroll shop Choji had mentioned, which used fuuinjutsu to seal larger supplies of necessary tools into storage scrolls. It was probably expensive, though…

Now probably wasn't the best time to think about shopping, however. Ino brought herself back to the present, and began the second step of her strategy.

The second step was a genjutsu, tailored specifically for use against sharingan users. From her time inside Sasuke's head, Ino had a vivid image of what the world actually looked like to a shinobi with an activated sharingan. Chakra showed traces, like long brush strokes hanging in mid-air, and in a fight the sharingan created visible waves of possibility that basically predicted the opponent's next move. It was a visual effect that Ino knew she could replicate with her genjutsu.

Ino raced the dispersing smoke, trying to shape her chakra while focusing on the image she wanted to create in Sasuke's mind. Every detail had to be perfect if she wanted her ruse to work. Otherwise, he would recognize her genjutsu immediately and dispel it. But if Ino did her job well, the fake images would seem like input from Sasuke's own sharingan, and it might buy Ino a second. If not, she would simply have to move to Plan B. That was another of Shikamaru's lessons: _always_ have a Plan B.

The smoke finally cleared, revealing Sasuke in the same position as before. His smirk was even wider, and his slouch was calculated to infuriate her further. _Look_, he seemed to be saying, _you've hit me with your best tricks, and I didn't even take a step!_

"We'll see about that," Ino muttered. She kept the image for her genjutsu fresh in her mind, ready to bring it to life with her chakra. But first, she needed Sasuke to be off-balance, or her technique wouldn't have a chance.

Ino threw a brace of shuriken from her thigh holster, aiming around Sasuke in a way that seemed erratic. He shifted to the left, deflecting one projectile with a careless flick of his bare hand. However, he hadn't been Ino's target. One of her shuriken carried on, severing the thin branch around which Ino had wrapped the guiding wire for her traps.

With a loud _twang, _all of the kunai that Ino had set up in the surrounding trees went shooting forward into the clearing. Ino hadn't aimed them particularly carefully, but due to Sasuke's arrogant desire to avoid Ino's attacks without moving, the traps were more or less aimed at him.

Alerted by the sound of the wire and the tree branches swinging forward, Sasuke whirled in time to deflect the kunai. By the time he completed his rotation, however, Ino had finished the hand seals for her genjutsu. She let the technique go, and had the satisfying experience of seeing Sasuke's smirk disappear faster than one of Choji's bags of potato chips.

Ino had formed her genjutsu with care. To Sasuke, it would seem as if the air in front of him suddenly exploded with violent chakra and the reddish-orange waves of possible attacks. Ino had used Sasuke's memories of his battle with Naruto, and there was nothing like the chakra and overwhelming force of the Nine-Tailed Fox to shock one out of a rational response.

Sasuke flinched involuntarily, losing a crucial second before dispelling the genjutsu. In that second Ino had already sent a Wind jutsu at Sasuke, relying on the fact that her genjutsu blocked Sasuke's vision of what was directly in front of him, thanks to the cloud of chakra tinged red as if seen with sharingan eyes.

Sasuke successfully dispelled Ino's genjutsu, and his eyes came back into focus. Then they widened with alarm as Sasuke finally noticed the second attack, which was already too close to dodge. The wind currents caught Sasuke full on, buffeting him mercilessly, opening up dozens of cuts on his arms and legs and raining punishing blows on his unprotected head. When Ino's technique released him, Sasuke fell to the ground with a heavy _thud_. He was out cold.

oOoOo

Shikamaru walked along Konoha's main street, keeping pace with the Ambassador from Sunagakure. Shikamaru tried to watch where he was going, but he kept getting distracted by the sunlight bouncing off Temari's hair. He was also intensely aware of the jealous glances he kept getting from the male population of Konoha – he was used to that from when he spent time with Ino, but for some reason it bothered him more than usual today. He found himself glaring at the most blatant offenders, trying to project the aura of restrained violence that his father could turn on in the blink of an eye.

It didn't seem to be working – perhaps it had something to do with his height. Shikamaru was growing, but he was still shorter than Temari, and _much_ smaller than Choji. Shikamaru wished he had Choji here, to give the men ogling Temari a proper scare. But then, that would mean he wouldn't be spending time alone with Temari… perhaps he could deal with a few lecherous glances. It wasn't as if Temari couldn't put the worst offenders in the hospital herself if she felt like it.

Shikamaru surreptitiously reached down and rubbed his right leg, which still hurt a bit from his sparring match with Temari. They had fought with taijutsu only earlier that morning, and Shikamaru found out that he must have been relying on his shadow too much lately, because he'd let his taijutsu skills get rusty. Or else Temari had just improved a hell of a lot lately – Shikamaru hoped it was the latter, as it would be less embarrassing for himself.

"Does it still hurt?" Temari asked innocently, not even looking at Shikamaru. "I told you we could go to the hospital… get someone to bandage your boo-boos."

"I think I'll live," Shikamaru replied drily. "I had an itch, that's all. My leg doesn't hurt at all."

Temari chuckled, but let him get away with the blatant lie. Then a street vendor caught her eye, and she raced off to buy some grilled fish. The vendor was in his early twenties, and clearly was ecstatic to have the tall, exotic-looking blonde visiting his stall. Shikamaru scowled, and tried to stand a little taller. His slouch was comfortable, but not very intimidating. Maybe he should start toying with a shuriken, ever so casually… no. If she saw that, Temari would never let him hear the end of it. So Shikamaru resigned himself to ordering some fish with a particularly expressive glower. And if he banged the money on the counter a little harder than necessary, well, it was better than challenging the man to a duel.

Through a mouthful of fish, Temari asked Shikamaru whether they should bring Ino any food. "She's been training all day, I bet she's hungry."

Shikamaru shrugged. "If you want to." He didn't particularly want to cut short his time with Temari, but he wasn't about to say no to the idea. Shikamaru supposed that he owed Ino, since he had ditched their usual sparring in order to be with Temari.

"How has she been lately?" Temari asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Shikamaru replied. "Ino? The same as always, I guess."

Temari looked skeptical. "Really? I only saw her briefly, but she seemed down to me. Kind of lonely and sad."

"Well, Choji's out of the village on a mission," Shikamaru replied, after thinking for a bit. "And I've been busy with jutsu experimentation for the Third, so I haven't been with either of them as much as we're used to."

"It's weird," Temari agreed. "I thought you three were joined at the hip. You fight together, eat together, you even think together! But not now… say, why is Choji out on a mission alone?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "He requested command of a mission from the Hokage. Said he doesn't want to rely on me too much, since we might not always be fighting right next to each other. He wants some experience with command, which I think is a good thing for him."

Temari had been listening carefully, and now her eyes narrowed in concentration. "You say he requested command directly from the Hokage?"

"Yeah."

"And he's not mad at you, or Ino?"

"Mad?" Shikamaru repeated. "Why would he be mad?"

"I don't know," Temari said, licking her fingers to get the last few breadcrumbs. "It's just, from the way Ino acted, I thought she was worried that Choji was mad at her. And then you say Choji specifically requested a mission without the two of you…"

"Don't you think you're reading too much into this?" Shikamaru asked. "If anything was wrong, Choji would have told me. We've always told each other everything."

Shikamaru suddenly remembered the extremely awkward conversation a few months ago, when he'd tried to articulate to Choji how he felt when he was with Temari. Thinking about it now, Shikamaru blushed involuntarily. Temari eyed him with interest, and Shikamaru had the uncomfortable feeling that she could see right through him.

"Don't you think," he said hurriedly, trying to bring his thoughts back to the problem at hand, "that Ino is just sad about Choji wanting to prepare for missions alone? It must feel a little like a betrayal, even though she'll understand that Choji is just training in case I'm injured or needed on a different mission."

Temari looks at him as if seeing a completely new person. "I keep forgetting how young you actually are. Most of the time you seem so sure of yourself, so completely aware of everything around you, and it's only during moments like this when I realize some of it's an act."

Shikamaru felt like there was something he wasn't picking up on, but he was also distracted by his attempts to unravel whether that was a compliment or not. He said, "I'll talk to Choji when he gets back – if I ask him directly whether there's anything going on, he'll tell me."

"Shika," Temari said, putting a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head as if he were being very slow indeed. "If you have to ask, you don't deserve to know."

Shikamaru's shoulder felt very cold when Temari lifted her hand. She walked away, rejoining the crowd of people milling about in the street.

"That's enough gossip about _your_ teammates," Temari called back over her shoulder. "Let's talk about mine."

Shikamaru promised himself he was going to think about what Temari had said regarding his teammates. But it would be ok to put it off just a little bit longer, wouldn't it? "All right," he said, stepping up his pace. "How are the bumbling brothers? Gaara claim the Kazekage's stole yet?"

Temari laughed, but answered seriously. "Gaara does continue to gather support in the village – the Council doesn't like the idea of the jinchuuriki holding power, but they don't hesitate to rely on his strength. Meanwhile he grows more popular with the villagers by the day, and Baki's support has helped immensely to persuade the military."

"I'm not all that worried about Gaara," Shikamaru said, catching up to Temari. "He can look after himself, not to mention anyone else he has a mind to protect. I just hope that his ties to Konoha won't injure his case with the conservatives – even after Orochimaru's betrayal, there's too much bad blood between our villages for your people to accept us right away. Gaara's open friendship with us could hurt him."

"Gaara's aware of the problem, and he's working to change peoples' minds. It's wonderful to see what a great man he's growing into…" Temari grinned mischievously. "I almost forgot – he told me to give you a message."

"What is it?"

"Gaara wants to know, and I quote, 'What are your intentions towards my sister?'" Temari winked at Shikamaru, who felt his cheeks burning. "To tell you the truth, I'm kind of interested in the answer to that one myself."

Shikamaru face was well and truly flushed, and for the first time in his life he could think of nothing to say. "I… uh… well-"

Temari snorted, archly raising one eyebrow. "I see. I'll tell him you said so." She walked away, leaving Shikamaru to reflect on the fact that he had been completely outmaneuvered. So how was it that he didn't feel like he'd lost at all?

In any case, now was the time for a strategic retreat to safer ground. "Hey Temari!" he called out, hurrying to catch up with the Suna kunoichi. "Have you had a chance to try Konoha's famous barbeque, Yakiniku Q?"

oOoOo

Choji had seen Neji lose before. He'd beaten Neji himself. But he had never seen Neji get taken out so easily. The Oto nin prodded Neji's limp body with one foot, and let out an ugly laugh. "So much for the mighty Hyuuga clan. I think I'll take this one with me when I leave. Kumo will pay a nice sum to get their hands on your friend's pretty eyes."

It was a fact that when Choji got really mad, he started to see red. This time the rage was so intense that for the briefest of moments, Choji's vision went black. It was just for that moment, and then Choji could see again. But the rage remained, and Choji drew on it as if it was energy stored in his body. His entire existence, everything he was thinking and feeling, boiled down to one incontrovertible fact: this bastard was going to pay.

Choji spaced his words deliberately. "Get. Away. From. My. Friend."

The bandit laughed. "Or wha-" His words came to an abrupt halt, as he was forced to leap away from Neji in order to avoid Choji's super-sized fist coming at him as if shot from a cannon. Choji advanced, getting between his opponent and Neji.

His anger was still there, but it was cold now, calculating. He could hear Shikamaru's voice in his head, telling him that the worst thing he could do for his teammates was lose control. The first thing he had to do was figure out what the enemy's gloves did – how did they generate such powerful elemental techniques without even using hand seals? Choji had thought it must be some trick, some incendiary device concealed beneath the metal plate sewed on the back of the gloves, but his enemy had disproved that theory when he used water and lightning to incapacitate Neji.

No matter how unbelievable it seemed, Choji's enemy was using jutsu from different elements, and he didn't need to use hand seals to activate them. The gloves must be somehow responsible – Choji didn't know how, but he knew he would have to be careful. The Oto nin had a strong taijutsu style that melded with his inexplicable ninjutsu. Trying to match him in normal hand-to-hand combat would be almost impossible, as Neji found out to his cost.

But Choji was prepared to face elemental attacks, thanks to the armor of his clan. Choji channeled most of the chakra he had built up into his armor, making it glow with a reddish light. This was the armor that had allowed him to withstand Neji's Gentle Fist style, and it would serve him equally well in an elemental slugfest with the shinobi from Otogakure.

"Let's go," Choji spat, anger making his voice sound strange to his own ears. "I'm going to make you eat those gloves."

His opponent jumped back, laughing harshly. "You'll fall just like your friend. I received these gloves from Orochimaru-sama himself – you're not even worthy to die by them. I'll kill you with my knife, like a stray dog."

Choji closed the distance with the bandit leader, a kunai in each hand. With each step he had to block his opponent's attacks, which came with punishing regularity. Bursts of fire scorched the air around him, and whips of water sought to trip him up. Electrical punches sent currents of deadly energy arcing toward him, but his armor kept him from meeting the same fate as Neji. Choji advanced like an automaton in the face of a storm, weathering each new attack and taking one step after another. Even if those gloves granted his opponent an endless supply of destructive ninjutsu, he couldn't evade Choji forever. Just one punch, that was all Choji asked. One punch, and this diabolical boxer would see what real power meant.

The constant attacks were taking a toll on his armor. Already its chakra layer was wearing down, and Choji would have to take another food pill if he wanted to recharge it enough to turn away fire and lightning-based attacks. First, however, he would try to go on the offensive.

Choji jumped back, getting away from the range of the bandit leader. He activated his Partial Multi-Size jutsu, making his arms ten times larger. Then he charged back in, swinging with all his might. His opponent couldn't block Choji with his elemental attacks, so he began to give ground. Choji pursued him like a bloodhound in running down a rabbit, hoping that one blow would land. His opponent was fast, however, and Choji reached the current limit of his chakra without having hit him once.

Choji paused, reaching into his belt pouch to take the first of the Three Akimichi Pills. He could see this fight getting out of hand already, and he just hoped that he wouldn't have to up the ante any more. A quick swallow, and Choji felt new power surging through his veins. His body began to sacrifice itself in earnest, as his stored energy started converting to chakra.

The Oto nin came to a stop, regarding Choji with wary speculation. "I've had enough of your Konoha tricks," he spat. "I'm going to end this right now. You should feel honored – this is the first time I've had to kill someone with my special technique since Orochimaru-sama gave me my gloves."

_Honored_ was definitely not what Choji was feeling at the moment. He prepared himself to react to whatever his opponent had up his sleeve. The Oto nin brought his hands together, forming the first seal that Choji had seen him use. Then he opened his mouth, and Choji felt the swell of chakra and killing intent rising together. When the Oto shinobi exhaled, a wave of sound and wind emanated from him and tore across the clearing towards Choji.

He used his newfound chakra to throw up a hasty defensive wall using an Earth-release technique. He was caught completely unaware when his opponent's jutsu blasted through the wall, demolishing it as completely as if it had been a piece of cardboard caught by an explosive tag.

Choji was swamped by particles of earth, followed immediately by the concussive blast. Choji's ears popped instantly in a moment of blinding pain, and he was lifted bodily and flung several yards backwards. He couldn't even tell which way was up, much less defend himself from a follow-up attack.

_Damn, _Choji thought, disgusted with himself, _I get killed on my first mission as Captain. Ino's going to be so pissed…_

But there was no further pain, no second explosion or the acute agony of a kunai through his chest. Choji jumped to his feet, his ears ringing, and a feeling of intense vertigo caused him to be suddenly and horribly sick. He threw up on the grass, cursing himself all the while for his stupidity.

When he had control of himself again, he looked around in consternation. The bandit leader was down, his mesh shirt torn in two and a long gash running down his abdomen. Choji could tell he was alive, but from the extreme bruising it seemed that he had several broken ribs and a broken jaw. One leg was bent the wrong way, and Choji could see a sickening white knob of bone sticking out just below the kneecap.

Standing over the unconscious Oto nin, with terrible white eyes and the red skin of a demon, was Rock Lee.

"I only have ten more seconds until the power of the Fifth Gate runs out," Lee said urgently, his voice much lower than normal. "Are you all right?"

"Thanks to you, Lee," Choji said, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was still alive. "I'll take it from here – you've done enough."

To Choji's considerable alarm, Lee proceeded to collapse, his eyes rolling up in their sockets. Choji raced to his side, yelling out in shock. He felt Lee's forehead, and realized that the boy was burning up. This wasn't good – his condition was already critical, and if they didn't get him to Tsunade soon, there was no telling what might happen.

Choji looked around for Kiba, only to see him run up, panting, to stop next to Lee. Kiba held a kunai stained with fresh blood, and Akamaru panted with exhaustion next to him.

"Turns out I had a little left after all," Kiba said grimly, gesturing to the three bandits that Lee had been fighting initially. "Once Lee activated the First Gate they scattered like rabbits. They knew he had a limited time, so they worked together to buy more time. He caught up to two of them, but he'd already activated the Fourth Gate. Then he saw you in trouble, and went to help. Akamaru and I took care of the final one. Sorry I had to disobey your order not to fight, but I figured you'd come to forgive me."

"Damn straight," Choji said. "But the mission isn't over yet. We have to get Lee to the hospital and the Oto shinobi to Tsunade."

"Way ahead of you," Kiba said, and fished around in his belt pouch. He took out three black pills and swallowed them without a second of hesitation.

Choji put a hand on Kiba's shoulder, too tired to find any words. He knew exactly how much of a risk Kiba was taking, eating soldier pills after already pushing himself to the edge of chakra exhaustion. In the best case scenario, Kiba would be hospitalized for weeks. Worst case… Choji didn't want to think about the worst case.

Choji could see in Kiba's eyes that he knew the risks, but he didn't care. He was ready to die to bring his teammates back, and that was the end of it. He would hate Choji for showing any pity, and Choji would be damned if he did.

"You carry Neji," Choji said. It was all that needed to be said.

Choji took out the second most powerful Akimichi food pill and swallowed it whole. That would have to be enough to get him home. Then Tsunade would take care of the rest.

Choji picked up the Oto nin roughly, and tied him to his back with ninja cord. Then he picked up Lee's trembling body with as much care as he could muster. He turned to Kiba, who had picked up Neji and slung him over his back. The Inuzuka's teeth were bared in a permanent snarl. Akamaru stood next to him, the hound's head held high and proud.

Kiba glanced at Choji, and smiled painfully. "I'll race ya."

oOoOo

When Sasuke finally woke up, he handled his disappointment much better than Ino would have expected. All he said was: "I want a rematch." Then he winced and clutched his head, which no doubt continued to ache terribly.

Ino snorted. "I don't have rematches with corpses, which is what you'd be if I hadn't been taking it easy on you."

"I see," Sasuke said, his eyes wide and innocent. "Think you can't do it a second time?"

Ino sighed with exasperation. He just didn't give up! "I'll tell you what, Sasuke. You beat Shikamaru and Choji in one-on-one sparring matches, and I'll consider fighting you again."

Sasuke grinned at her, which almost made Ino gape in astonishment. He stuck out his hand for her to shake. "Done."

She ignored his outstretched hand, realizing that he hadn't exactly learned the lesson she'd been hoping to teach him. Well, she owed it to a fellow shinobi of Konoha to try to get through to him one last time.

"Sasuke, you're never going to win if you keep going like this." The grin disappeared instantly. Ino kept talking, determined to make her point. "You need to be more like Naruto, who never underestimates his teammates. Naruto's strength is his ability to inspire the people around him to fight harder than they knew they could."

Sasuke laughed wryly. "I think Naruto's strength is the ancient demon in his gut."

Ino glared at him. "Naruto would be a great shinobi even without the Kyuubi. But you… without your sharingan, you wouldn't be anything. A shinobi who spits on teamwork is a shinobi who's guaranteed to fail."

She left him lying there, headed in the direction of the village, and didn't look back. Because of that, she didn't see the speculative gleam in Sasuke's eyes as he watched her go.

oOoOo

Choji was mentally and physically exhausted. He and Kiba had pushed themselves to the limits of their strength and beyond, they had made it safely back. It was hard to believe only five days had passed since then – it seemed like an eternity, filled with hospital beds, pain, and hours spent watching the hands move on the clock.

The first thing they had done was report to the Hokage, who brought them to a secure underground medical facility once she understood the situation. First she had healed Lee, and then seen to Kiba, Choji, and Neji. All four members of Choji's squad were in intensive care for the first three days, recovering in complete isolation except for each other, Tsunade, and Shizune. They had no visitors, and Tsunade told them that except for Morino Ibiki, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and the gate guards who had let them in the village, no one even knew they were back in Konoha. This let Choji know that the information provided by the Oto nin must have been extremely valuable.

When they were feeling well enough to walk around, Tsunade informed them that the interrogation of their prisoner was well under way. Choji asked what they had found, but Tsunade refused to tell them.

"It's need to know until I decide otherwise," she had said. All four of them were burning with curiosity, but Tsunade didn't say another word about it.

Of them all, Choji and Neji were the first to be declared fit to return to duty. Kiba had severe damage to his chakra coils, requiring more extensive treatment that wouldn't end for several weeks. Lee's body was still repairing itself after the strain of opening the Fifth Gate, and Tsunade declared that he had to stay longer as well.

Lee complained bitterly and might even have attempted to escape, but Tsunade had the bright idea to say that Kiba would be too lonely without him. "Would you really abandon your comrade like that, when he fought so hard to bring you home?" she asked, and Lee swore he would stay with Kiba until the Inuzuka was in tip-top shape.

Choji chuckled, remembering how Kiba had groaned and demanded that Tsunade send Lee away with the others. It was such a relief to know that everyone on his team was going to be all right, even that Kiba was feeling well enough to complain about Lee. Seeing the two of them banter back and forth, it was treacherously easy to forget how close they had all come to dying.

In fact, the brush with death – along with the mandated bed rest – had made Choji spend some time thinking. Among other things, he realized that he was being selfish with regard to Ino. His feelings for her were inappropriate, and his inner struggles were so stupid when he put them in perspective.

He had caused Ino pain by pushing her away, when really the problem was all his. Ino was his best friend, and she deserved to have him be there for her, even if it was sometimes uncomfortable for him. There were worse things than having a secret crush on one's teammate, as the last mission had made extremely clear.

After finally getting cleared by Tsunade, Choji resolved to find Ino as soon as possible. He was going to apologize to her for how he had been acting, and promise not to be like that in the future. His place was with Ino and Shikamaru, and if he tried, if he _really _ tried, they could work together just like they always had.

It was nearing dusk as Choji ran through the streets of Konoha, heading towards Ino's parents' flower shop. A few blocks away, he caught sight of two figures heading in the same direction, their backs to him. A few more steps and Choji could see that the figures were actually Sasuke and Ino, and they were walking side-by-side.

They stopped for a second, and Choji, without meaning to, held his breath and went perfectly still. Then he realized he was being stupid. Sasuke wasn't a threat anymore – he had no memories of his brother, Ino had sworn to it. Maybe he would actually be a nice guy now, and a worthy shinobi of Konoha. And his presence was certainly not going to keep Choji from fulfilling his promise of apologizing to Ino.

Just as Choji was about to call out to them, Sasuke and Ino turned to face each other. Choji was too far away to make out the words, but they appeared to be talking. Then, so surreally that Choji could almost have believed he was dreaming, Sasuke leaned forward until his face and Ino's were practically touching. Their lips met, and Choji's heart broke in two.

**A/N: **Sorry for the cliffhanger, everyone, but it had to be done. Next chapter I'll back up a bit and explain what led up to this moment - for now I'll let you wonder. We're getting into the plot properly now, and soon we'll learn about the mission that will form the core of this story. Also, if you like the drama of the story so far, you might be interested in watching Korean dramas (I'd recommend Coffee Prince in particular to newcomers). I'm hooked on them, and the Choji-Ino-Sasuke triangle is heavily based on many Korean romantic comedies, as is my version of the Temari-Shikamaru relationship.

As long as I'm admitting to stealing (*cough* freely adapting *cough*) my material, I'll also share with you that the idea for the main mission in the story comes from the Japanese movie Yojimbo, one of the greatest films of all time. It's about a rogue samurai who comes into a town run by two competing crime families, pretends to work for both of the criminal bosses while playing them against each other, and ends up liberating the town (spoiler alert: for this story, that town is Oto). Basically, Yojimbo is the movie that defined bad-ass, and if you haven't seen it, you should stop what you're doing immediately, go to your local library, and watch it. Right now!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Welcome back to Shadows Ascending! Last time Choji brought back a rogue Otogakure shinobi, and this chapter we see what Tsunade is going to do about it. Meanwhile, Sasuke begins pursuing Ino, and Choji makes a decision.

I hope you enjoy, and make sure to review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 4: The Price of Duty**

As the days went by, Ino found herself growing ever more lonely. It had been more than a week since Choji left, and even though Shikamaru was still in the village, he might as well have been off on a mission, too. He spent most of his time holed up in the Hokage's Tower with his father and other high-ranking shinobi, no doubt on some important village business.

Ino was glad that the Hokage seemed to be appreciating Shikamaru's talent, but that didn't make it any easier to ignore the fact that she was alone. Asuma and Kurenai were on an extended mission to Water Country, and so aside from pestering Sakura, who was always busy at the hospital, Ino had nothing to do but train. Which she did, with a vengeance.

Every day she went to Team 10's old training ground, where she proceeded to uproot boulders, slice the branches of trees, and generally wreak havoc on innocent nature. It was there that Sasuke found her, the day after she had defeated him during their sparring session. That had been three days after Choji left on his mission, and it was the same day that Shikamaru seemed to disappear into the Hokage's Tower.

"What do you want?" Ino demanded crossly. She had better things to do than banter with Sasuke; her Wind jutsu needed some serious fine-tuning, and she planned to practice her mind possession on a swarm of bees nearby.

But Sasuke didn't demand a rematch, as she'd been half expecting. He waited there silently until, finally, she looked at him. "I was hoping we could train together," Sasuke said. Ino waited for the inevitable sarcastic comment, but it didn't appear. Sasuke looked and sounded sincere, even humble. "You know Naruto's gone," Sasuke told her, "and for all I know, Sakura has decided to live in the hospital, that's how much time she spends there. I've been training with Kakashi, but apparently there's something big going on in the Tower, so he told me to train on my own for a while. I tried, but it got a little… lonely."

_Something big in the Hokage's Tower? _Ino mused. _It must be the same thing that's taking Shikamaru up there so often. I wonder what's happening?_

"So… what gives?" Ino said. "Aren't you overjoyed to be able to train without inferior weaklings slowing you down?"

Sasuke chuckled softly. "You know," he pointed out, deliberately casual, "if you tell a person he should change, and then refuse to believe that he's trying, you betray your own good advice."

Ino flushed a dark red. He had a point, but still… was it possible that her words had gotten through to Sasuke that easily? No, there must be more to it than that. But if he was even pretending to change, it was Ino's duty to let him try. Sasuke was right about that much.

Moreover, Ino had to admit, it sounded like the two of them were in the same situation. Both completely at loose ends, without teammates or sensei. Sparring with Sasuke would make a welcome change from performing the same jutsu over and over. It would certainly be a challenge, and a completely new experience. The Uchiha's fighting style was different from those of Choji and Shikamaru, and no doubt he had some tricks up his sleeve. How could he not, after training from sunup to sundown with Kakashi for more than a year?

Ino walked over to Sasuke, who was standing upright, no sign of his usual arrogant slouch. "I'd bet my life savings you're up to something," she said, drawing a grin from Sasuke. "But I don't have the time or the patience to figure it out, and it's true I need a sparring partner while Choji and Shikamaru are busy. So I'll train with you, on one condition."

"What's that?"

Ino did her best to imitate Sasuke's smirk, the one that had once been so common to him. "That you don't slow me down."

That day set the pattern for the days to follow. Ino woke up early, met with Sasuke at the training ground, and pushed herself to her limits and beyond. Sasuke was stronger, faster, and cannier than before, although his new ability fell far short of his second stage Curse Seal form. Ino couldn't match Sasuke in terms of pure taijutsu, but that didn't stop her from trying. She took particular pleasure in the few hits that she managed to land. She had grown up sparring against Choji, so she knew how to throw some serious force behind her attacks. Punches that wouldn't have fazed the young Akimichi had a gratifying impact on the Uchiha.

As the days went on, Ino had to admit that her training with Sasuke was helping her stave off the loneliness. When she was fighting with every ounce of her strength and skill, she had no time to think about the stony expression on Choji's face as he turned away from her. But every night, before her aching muscles pressured her into sleep, she would remember. And every day, Shikamaru still went to the Hokage's Tower, and Ino knew that whatever was going on, it was too important to tell anyone, even his best friend.

The knowledge that something important was going on made it even harder to wait patiently. But Shikamaru would tell her when the time was right, and in the meantime, Ino could work on new genjutsu to try and neutralize the natural advantage of the sharingan.

Often, when they were too tired to spar any more, they would argue tactics together. Ino found herself growing more comfortable with this new version of Sasuke, and even wondered if he was changing for the better. She began to relax around him, and at times she could believe that he would be able to take up a life in the village once more. The memory of his Curse Seal form hovering over a fallen Naruto began to fade, replaced by the innocent child that Ino had seen when she looked inside his mind. And even the innocent child started to blur into Sasuke as he appeared now, with an earnest expression that sometimes morphed into an open, playful smile.

One evening, exactly five days after they began training together, Sasuke and Ino were walking back to their homes. They walked side by side, chattering about nothing. Without warning, Sasuke stopped. He turned to her, and his eyes grew serious. "You told me once to be more like Naruto," Sasuke said softly. "I always thought he was a bonehead, yelling about his love for Sakura at the top of his lungs. Now I realize how much courage that takes. Well, here goes…"

He leaned in, and before Ino knew it his lips were on hers. The shock was such that it took her a moment to push him away. She could feel a rush of heat, and knew that she must be blushing furiously. She drove her right fist into Sasuke's stomach, just under the ribcage. He fell to one knee, grunting painfully. But then he… laughed. That only enraged Ino further. She rained a series of blows down on Sasuke, striking again and again with fists and feet. Still laughing, Sasuke put up a minimal defense, only turning aside the strikes that would have hit any vital spots.

Ino stopped, regaining her breath, trying to regain her self-control. "How… how _dare_ you!" she hissed.

Sasuke stood up shakily, still grinning like a madman. "So that's what that feels like," he whispered. His voice grew more serious, though his eyes still shone. "Ino, I can't say I'm sorry I did that, because I'm not. I can't believe it took me this long to see you, to really _see_ you, but now it's impossible to stop. You're smart, strong, beautiful… I know you stopped liking me a long time ago, but can't you give me another chance? How I wish you would."

Sincerity rang in his voice, but Ino still felt only anger. "I'll give you one more chance… to get out of my sight before I give you the beating you deserve. _Never _do that again!"

"I promise I won't kiss you again without your permission," Sasuke said, "but how can I stop feeling this way about you? As well ask the stars to go out, or the seas to dry up!"

Ino took out a kunai, testing the blade against her thumb. Sasuke backed up, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'll go now," he said, and Ino hated how calm he managed to sound. "But I'll be back. I learned that much from Naruto – never give up, no matter how many times you get beat up." Sasuke sent Ino a crooked smile that she had never seen before, and gave her a thumbs up. "It's my new ninja way."

Then he was gone, leaving Ino alone in the street. She wondered briefly if she'd fallen under a genjutsu – surely nothing else could turn reality on its head so completely. She raised one hand towards her mouth, but let it fall before making contact.

_Oh Kami, what if someone _saw?!

oOoOo

Choji had no idea where his feet were taking him, but he wasn't surprised when he ended up at Training Area 17. It was over a mile away from the village walls, and it was nothing more than a bed of rock, with boulders strewn around like strange bushes. In the approaching dark, it looked truly bleak, which fit Choji's mood like a glove.

Unbidden, the image he was trying to escape resurfaced. Sasuke Uchiha, leaning in… and Ino… Choji shook his head violently.

_Rational, _Choji thought, though even in his head his voice sounded desperate. _Have to be rational. Do I have any right to be this angry?_

_Of course not. I don't own her - she has every right to like anyone she wants._

_But… Sasuke? He tried to kill us!_

But Choji knew that wasn't the real reason he felt so betrayed. A smaller voice, quiet yet no less insistent, knew the truth.

_It's because you thought she was over him._

Choji remembered their Academy years, when he would play hooky with Shikamaru, Kiba, and Naruto. Just as clear were the memories of Ino and Sakura fighting over Sasuke. Could years of infatuation really disappear without a trace? And of course, Ino had been inside Sasuke's mind.

Choji had been there for the battle with Sasuke, but only Ino knew what had transpired in Sasuke's mind. She had saved him from creeping insanity, and had seen everything there was to Sasuke, down to his very soul. Perhaps that had created a bond between them, or maybe Ino had seen that Sasuke was a good person after all.

There was nothing Choji could do except to support his teammate. If she wanted to be with Sasuke, that was her decision. He would just have to wish them the best-

_Crack!_

Choji's fist registered a sharp pain, having just punched the rocky surface beneath his feet. He felt a burst of chakra leave his fist, chakra that he'd gathered without being aware of it. Small fissures appeared around his hand, little spidery cracks in the stone. Then they spread, and suddenly they weren't little any more. Fissures exploded in every direction, literally tearing the ground apart. Choji jumped up and away, chakra fueling his legs, and as he soared through the air he watched the spectacular destruction of what had once been Training Area 17.

The next morning, Choji approached his father before breakfast. Choza was in full armor, apparently preparing for a mission.

"Dad," Choji began, "do you know of any missions outside the village?"

Choza looked at his son with concern. "You've barely recovered from the last one," he pointed out. "Why the rush to get back out there?"

Choji looked down, schooling his expression. "I… I feel responsible for what happened. I led my team into disaster. I want to try again, to gain experience without Shikamaru there to save my ass. Otherwise, how can the village trust me?"

"I think you're being a little hard on yourself, son," Choza said with a frown. He bit the end of a loaf of bread, chewing noisily. "But if your mind is already made up, I won't try to change it. Now that I think on it, there is a mission that could use you. Izumo and Kotetsu are preparing to track down a team of rogue shinobi that stole some precious artifacts from the Fire Temple. They could use another chuunin for backup, even if they don't want to admit it. Working with those two would be exactly the kind of experience that you want."

Choji nodded gratefully. "Thanks, dad. I'll join up with them now."

"Aren't you going to have any breakfast?" Choza asked, astonished. He was shocked at the cold, focused light in Choji's eyes.

"I'm not hungry."

oOoOo

Shikamaru stood next to Temari in the Hokage's office. Tsunade was watching both of them with an interesting expression, at once excited and deathly serious.

"Do you know why I've brought you here?" she asked, lacing her fingers together underneath her chin.

"I assume it has something to do with Choji's mission," Shikamaru said slowly. He'd spent quite a lot of time worrying about that, since his friend had been kept in an underground medical facility far longer than should have been necessary. "He must have brought back some important information."

"That he did," Tsunade agreed, "and a hard time he had of it. He captured a former shinobi of Otogakure."

Shikamaru's breath caught. Temari leaned forward eagerly. "Does he know where Orochimaru's hiding?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, unfortunately. But he has a piece of information that is almost as valuable. He knows the location of the largest Otogakure stronghold still on the continent. When Orochimaru was defeated, his army scattered… but they had orders to retreat to a safe location if the worst happened. We couldn't figure out where it was. Now we know."

The wheels were turning in Shikamaru's brain. He could already see a dozen possibilities, but there was really only one that was most important. "If we capture the leader there…"

Tsunade nodded. "…we can extract Orochimaru's location from his or her mind."

Temari smiled, practically quivering with anticipation. "Then we call out Gaara and a strike team, and Suna and Konoha launch a joint task force to wipe that slimy bastard off the face of the earth!"

The Hokage inclined her head, allowing a small smile to tug at one corner of her mouth. "Precisely. Orochimaru is currently the largest threat to both of our villages, and who knows what he's up to at the moment. No doubt he's rebuilding his forces, maybe even recruiting or continuing his evil experiments across the sea. There's no time to waste."

"So what's the play?" Shikamaru asked. "Do we muster out a quick response team? Neutralize the village and take down its leader?"

That wasn't his first choice, but Tsunade had said that time was of the essence…

Tsunade shook her head. "That might be faster, but there's no guarantee we would succeed. I don't know how many shinobi retreated to this new stronghold, and their numbers may even be growing. I won't commit to an all-out offensive strike unless I know more about what I'm sending our people into."

"An infiltration mission, then?" Temari asked.

"Yes. We have a unique opportunity, thanks to Choji's brilliant decision to capture the Otogakure shinobi alive."

Shikamaru could see all the pieces falling into place. "You're going to replace him with a double!"

"Not just any double," Tsunade said, her gaze gaining intensity. "With you."

"Me?" Shikamaru squawked, taken by surprise for the first time in a long time. "Why me? Why not ANBU? I'm not trained in disguise techniques-"

Tsunade cut him off by raising one hand. "Don't worry about that. This isn't going to be your average deception – you'll be protected by more than a mere Henge. I'm going to oversee your disguise myself." She grinned, and Shikamaru couldn't suppress a shiver. "When I'm done with you, your own mother won't recognize you."

Shikamaru could guess what this meant: the Hokage was going to change the very make-up of his body through her medical ninjutsu. His disguise would hold up to almost any scrutiny, because it wouldn't even be a disguise – he would actually _become_ a physical clone of the captured shinobi. But that still didn't answer his most important question.

"But why _me_?"

Temari snorted scornfully, drawing Shikamaru's startled gaze. "Do you really have to ask?" she said snidely, while her eyes laughed. "I would have picked you, too." Shikamaru had to suppress a blush, cursing himself for being as silly as Hinata.

"She's right," the Hokage added, smiling approvingly. "You're one of our best chuunin, with a close to perfect record. There's no one I would trust more in the field – I mean, it was you who first detected Otogakure's treachery, and it was you who brought Uchiha Sasuke back. Your intelligence and determination will serve you very well on an infiltration mission. After a few medical procedures and some advanced training, we'll begin the mission."

"Will I have any back-up?" Shikamaru asked. He wanted Choji and Ino, of course, and Hinata's team would be invaluable as scouts in enemy territory…

He was so deep in contemplation that he failed to hear Tsunade cough twice, trying to get his attention. Temari gave a short bark of laughter, while the Hokage glared at him. "I love it when you get all lost in thought," Temari whispered, winking at him. "It's adorable."

This time he couldn't help it – he blushed to the roots of his hair. Carefully not looking at Temari, he bowed toward the Hokage. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. You were saying?"

"I was saying," Tsunade said, enunciating each word, "that you will not enter the village alone. I will send one of our best agents with you as back-up. She has years of experience with infiltration missions. I will also send a large strike force as back-up; you'll be in charge of choosing those teams. Now, you may have met your partner before, during the Chuunin Exams. Her name is Mitarashi Anko."

Shikamaru remembered her. It was hard to forget someone who dressed like that, and her personality was no less unique. He had no trouble believing that she was a skilled agent, however – the Third Hokage wouldn't have put her in charge of the Second Exam if she wasn't. That didn't change anything, though.

"I want Ino," he said firmly. Temari did a double-take, while Tsunade's eyebrows climbed almost to her hairline.

"Excuse me?"

"I want Ino to be my partner," Shikamaru repeated. "I'm not undervaluing Anko, but no one works with me better than Ino. Besides, we're heading into Otogakure – a village full of shinobi expert in manipulating _sound-waves_. Communicating with my partner in secret will be hard enough without worrying that anyone in the village could overhear us. With Ino, we can communicate mind-to-mind without anyone being the wiser. Not only that, but her mastery of Mind Invasion techniques is growing every day, and she's already considered a genius by her clan. Once we find the Otogakure leader, she can extract all the information he's carrying. If I'm going to infiltrate the village, I'll need her with me."

Tsunade thought for a long minute, thought lines creasing her forehead. "I don't know…" she said at last. "I'm not doubting her capabilities, and you're right that her techniques make her uniquely suited to this task. But I think you're underestimating the difficulty of such a mission. For however long you have to stay in the village, you'll have to live a lie under constant scrutiny. You must carry out whatever acts of cruelty are required of you, whether it be torture or even murdering innocent people. I have my doubts about _you_, Shikamaru, and the only reason I felt comfortable sending you was because Anko will be there to watch out for you. This was going to be your Jonin Exam… I'm not sure that Ino is ready for a similar test."

It was a good point, but it didn't faze Shikamaru for a second. This was Ino they were talking about – it wouldn't be the first time that they faced death together, and it wouldn't be the last. The odds of success were greater with Ino next to him, no matter how skilled Anko might be. Shikamaru trusted his intuition as much as he did his mind, and both told him to hold out for Ino.

"If I'm ready to test for jonin, then so is Ino. We've faced the same challenges, and our rate of improvement is comparable. I'd say the same for Choji, but I already know he'll be part of the back-up team. Please, Hokage-sama, trust me. Have Anko train both of us, but send me in there with Ino. We'll get the job done."

"You're sure about this?" Tsunade asked, locking eyes with the Nara genius. Shikamaru only nodded.

The Hokage sighed heavily, and shifted her gaze to look out the window. "I'll take it into consideration. But first, I need to know that she can practice deception to the extent that will be required on such a mission. I will give her a preliminary test. If she passes, _then_ I will make my decision. Is that acceptable?" The chill in her voice told Shikamaru that his Hokage was not pleased by his stubbornness. He bowed low.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Then that's settled. Temari-san," the Hokage barked out, so sharply that Temari jumped, "I have a task for you as well."

The blond kunoichi stood straighter, hands at her sides. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Take these," Tsunade said, throwing something small and light to the Suna warrior – no, it was two somethings. Temari snatched them out of the air and inspected them closely. It was a pair of leather gloves, both reinforced by flexible metal inserts and covered all over with strange signs.

"These are the gloves that the Otogakure shinobi used to fight Choji," Tsunade explained. "They make use of some type of Sealing jutsu, allowing their wearer to combine taijutsu with punishing ninjutsu element attacks. I was wondering if you might take these to your puppet builders in Suna. The gloves themselves are not in perfect repair, and they need to be keyed to Shikamaru's chakra. Can your artisans do that?"

Temari nodded without hesitation. "We may not have Sasori of the Red Sands, but our puppet builders can figure this out. With a bit of Shikamaru's hair, they can create new Sealing jutsu to keep anyone but him from activating the gloves."

"How long will it take?"

Temari cocked her head, thinking. "I'm not sure. No less than a week, with travel included."

"Then get to it," the Hokage ordered. "We all have our parts to play in the mission to come. Give my regards to your brother, and brief him on the details of our plan. We need Suna to be ready, so that the moment we know where Orochimaru is hiding, you'll be ready to move."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Before Shikamaru could think to react, Temari had danced up to his side, kissed him swiftly on the mouth, and retreated to the window. She opened the catch and threw herself out into the open air, gliding away on her fan while Shikamaru was still bringing his hand up stupidly to his mouth. There was a moment of shocked silence, followed by Tsunade's bright laughter.

"Ah, Shikamaru, I think you're outmatched by that one," she said, wiping at her eyes with one hand. "She's too much woman for you."

This time it was Shikamaru's turn to glower at his Hokage. "So what's next? I assume you'll need to set up the preliminary test for Ino."

In the blink of an eye the serious Hokage had returned, her face a mask of deliberation. "That's correct. As for you, we'll begin your training. I'll have Anko begin teaching you the basics of infiltration, and then you can start getting… _acquainted_… with the shinobi you'll be impersonating. Once you have the basics down, we'll begin preparations for your medical procedures. They shouldn't be too bad… well, except for the larynx replacement. That one will hurt like a bitch." The Hokage smile reminded Shikamaru of a shark.

"L-larynx replacement?" Shikamaru stuttered.

That didn't sound good.

oOoOo

Ino made her way slowly but deliberately through the village to the Akimichi compound. Sasuke's unwanted advances the night before had made her realize something: no matter what the consequences, it was always better to be open about your feelings. That was the only reason she wasn't hunting down the arrogant Uchiha and breaking a few of his bones. She had to find Choji and let him know how she felt. It didn't matter what happened after – one way or another, they would be fine. At least, that's what Ino kept telling herself.

Ino knew that Choji was back in the village, and that he had been injured while on his extended mission. Her father had told her the night before, so she guessed that she could find her teammate at his family's compound, no doubt being fussed over by his parents.

The Akimichi compound was visible long before Ino reached it – the calorie-crunching warriors preferred red tile for the walls around the compound, red to match their armor and the colors of Konoha. Ino could hear the sound of Akimichi shinobi sparring beyond the walls, their boisterous voices trumpeting exuberantly.

Any other time she would have gone to watch, maybe even challenged one of them – she was always happy to beat up on Choji's cousins, many of whom had bullied the gentle boy when he was younger – but today she was on a self-appointed mission. She went straight to the house of the clan head, Choza Akimichi, whom she knew almost as well as her own parents.

She knocked loudly on the front door, knowing that Choji's parents weren't offended by a little noise. The door opened a few seconds later, revealing the mountainous figure of Choji's father.

"Ino," Choza boomed, with a laugh that made her ears ring. "What brings you here? Looking for my miscreant son?"

Ino took a deep breath. "That I am, sir! Is he inside?"

Choza clapped a hand on her shoulder with such force that it took all of Ino's shinobi training not to stagger. "No need to 'sir' me, girl! Heavens, I don't think I could look your father in the face if his daughter took to 'sirring' me! As if I didn't bounce you on my knee when you were a baby…"

Ino winced inside. It looked like she'd managed to start Choza off on one of his stories. Mercifully, a feminine hand emerged from behind Choza and hit him across the head. Choza's wife appeared next to him, grimacing at her husband.

"Stow it, you! She asked you a question, so don't be nattering on all day!" She smiled kindly at Ino, and winked. "Don't mind my husband."

Choza rubbed the back of his head, grumbling. Then he turned back to Ino, his face resuming its usual beaming smile. "I'm sorry, Ino, but Choji's back out in the field. He left early this morning with Izumo and Kotetsu. They're hunting down some bandits for the Fire Temple! I swear, that boy just can't sit still. He only just now got over his injuries…"

Ino's spirits fell, but she only nodded and thanked Choji's parents for their help. It seemed Choji still wasn't ready to rejoin the team – Ino could only hope he would be back soon. As she turned away from the Akimichis, a flash of movement caught her eye.

Ino pulled out two kunai and tensed, realizing a second later that it was only Shizune, the Hokage's assistant. Ino fell over herself in her haste to apologize, putting her weapons away.

"Don't worry about it," Shizune said breezily, though her pig, Tonton, oinked reprovingly. "It's good to see that the younger shinobi still have their guard up. Anyway, the Hokage wants you. Do you have the time?"

Ino shook her head with a wry smile. When the Hokage wanted you, it didn't matter if you had the time or not. "Lead on."

Shizune smiled back. "Good answer."

The two kunoichi took to the rooftops, using the Body-Flicker jutsu to travel faster than the eye could track. Ino was still getting used to traveling at such high speeds, but the more she got used to the technique, the stronger she would be as a shinobi. So she taxed her body to the utmost to follow Shizune, trusting her rapidly improving reflexes to keep her from running into any obstacles.

Instead of passing the chuunin guards at the base of the Hokage's Tower, they ran straight up the side of the giant building. It was a privilege that Shizune had as Tsunade's assistant – she didn't have to worry about the normal time-consuming procedure of passing the guards. If Ino had attempted to scale the building without Shizune there, hidden ANBU guards would have been on her before she could sneeze.

As it was, Ino and Shizune entered the Hokage's office a second later, ghosting through the window to land at attention before Tsunade's desk. Tonton did his part as well, letting out a fierce squeal.

"Ah, you're here." Tsunade put aside a stack of papers and fixed her attention on Ino. Ino wasn't sure, but she thought that Tsunade looked graver than usual. She hoped she hadn't done anything wrong. Oh no… maybe Tsunade knew about the kiss?! Ino could explain, it hadn't been her fault-

"Ino," Tsunade began, cutting off her train of thought. "How fares your training with Sasuke?"

Ino shifted uncomfortably. The Hokage's eyes were too knowing for her comfort. "Fine, Hokage-sama. In terms of physical recovery, he's doing well. Psychologically speaking, I'm not quite sure, but he hasn't displayed any residual memories of his brother. Orochimaru, on the other hand, he hates with a single-minded passion."

Tsunade looked satisfied. "That's good to hear. Heaven knows, Orochimaru deserves his anger, but since Sasuke never trusted Orochimaru, never looked up to him, there's less chance of it becoming as personal as with Itachi. But I've also heard that Sasuke has been spending quite a bit of time with you. The ANBU agent I've assigned to follow Sasuke said he prefers your company to that of any other shinobi in his age group."

The Hokage's eyes again bored into Ino's, and she could guess that the Hokage knew exactly why Ino blushed. "Hokage-sama, I don't encourage him… I just trained with him because my teammates were both busy, and… I had no idea he would…"

"I'm not _mad_ at you, Ino," the Hokage said. Her face was an unreadable mask. "I think it's good that Sasuke has found a friend. Naruto is away on his training trip, and Sakura is far too busy training with me and working in the hospital to spare any time for Sasuke. Even his apparent… romantic attachment… bodes well for his recovery. The village elders are ecstatic – they see Sasuke's transformation as a new hope for the village. They can't wait to get him married, so that he can put down roots and begin reviving the Uchiha clan."

Ino was extremely confused, but she didn't like the direction this conversation was going… "I'm not sure I understand, Hokage-sama. What are you saying?"

Tsunade's eyes, so cold and unforgiving, held Ino in thrall. "I'm saying that Sasuke is your next mission."

"I have no intention of _talking _to Sasuke again, let alone… anything else!" Ino surprised herself by shouting.

The Hokage drew herself up to her full height, her voice coming out clipped and freezing. ""You seem to be operating under the delusion that I _care_ what you intend," Tsunade said. Ino became very still. "You have sworn to protect your village and obey the Hokage. That means you do what I say."

Ino spoke very carefully. "Are you telling me I have to… _marry_ Sasuke?"

"Don't be absurd," Tsunade replied sharply. "You're both far too young for marriage, no matter what the Council says. But your mission, which is B-rank, by the way, is to put up with Sasuke's attentions. Allow him to court you in front of the rest of the village, and while you don't have to respond favorably, you cannot reject him out of hand."

"_Why?!_"

"Because this is the first time Sasuke has shown interest in anything besides vengeance. He's learning to become a whole person – he's changing for the better."

Ino let out her breath in an angry huff. "And because he's starting to get a life, I have to give up mine?"

"Let's be clear on something," the Hokage said, holding up a hand. "You're a shinobi of Konoha. Your life does not belong to you, it belongs to the village. In the past, you've proven yourself to be ready to give up your life to protect Konoha – that, and your skill, are the reasons you made chuunin. What I'm asking you to sacrifice now is not your life, merely your love life. I'm asking – no, I'm _ordering_ you – to carry out this mission for the greater good of the village. If you can't do that, then maybe you ought to reconsider your career choice."

Those words hung between them, while Ino tried to regain control over her rampant emotions. "Well?" the Hokage asked. Ino swallowed bitter words, wondering how this mission could _possibly_ serve the best interests of the village. But it wasn't her place to question her Hokage.

"I apologize for my outburst, Hokage-sama… it was unprofessional."

"Good. Then I'm assigning you a B-Rank mission, which is to allow Uchiha Sasuke to court you. You do _not_ have to accept his heart, but under no circumstances may you reject it. In the eyes of the village, you must be seen as a woman playing hard to get. You may tell your true feelings to no one who is not in this room, understood? If anyone, whether your teammates, your sensei, or your family, sees through your deception, you fail the mission."

"Not only that," Tsunade went on, "but you will also keep a close eye on Sasuke and monitor his psychological state. By allowing him to stay by your side, you will be better able to determine how he feels about his missing memories. Do you understand why I'm asking you to do this, Ino?"

Ino simply nodded her head, not feeling equal to speech.

"That's not good enough, Ino," Tsunade said, relentless in her pursuit. "I am not a leader who expects blind obedience. I want to know if you truly understand why I'm ordering you to do this."

Ino had to fight to keep her expression neutral. "Because if Sasuke is busy trying to impress me, he won't be searching for the truth of his lost memories."

"That's one reason," Tsunade allowed, "and it will suffice for now. You may go, and report back to me in one week. Dismissed."

But as Ino turned to leave, Tsunade called out to her. "Wait!" Ino turned around sharply, relying on her years of discipline to keep her emotion from showing. "This mission is not forever, Ino. When it is over, I promise that you can tell Sasuke, your friends – the whole village if you want – exactly how you feel. But until then, you tell no one… not even Choji."

Ino stiffened, but only bowed once more. "Yes, Hokage-sama. May I go now?"

"Dismissed."

Ino left the study at a perfectly controlled walk, though her hands were clenched tightly to her sides.

When she was gone, Shizune rounded on the Hokage with fire in her eyes. "Hokage-sama!" she cried, highly affronted. "Did you have to go so far?"

Tonton seemed to agree, giving a highly upset _oink._

The Hokage sighed, burying her face in her hands for a second. Then she raised her head, and nodded. "I did. The only way the Otogakure mission works is if the enemy shinobi believe she and Shikamaru are a couple. Ino will have to play a role before an entire village of hostile shinobi, and if she slips once our plans fall apart. I need to see that she can play a role even in front of the people she cares about most."

"But you even threw Choji in her face, too! Sensei, you _know_ how she feels about that boy! How would you have felt if someone made you act that way in front of your first love?"

Tsunade looked out the window, but her eyes saw only the past. "I wish someone had done something like this for me, Shizune." Her assistant gasped. Tsunade spoke on, her voice slow and contemplative. "When Dan died, I blamed the village. I valued my love over my duty, and I abandoned Konoha for years. If not for Naruto, I might never have come back. I won't allow Ino to repeat my mistakes. If she breaks, I want her to break now, not out in the field, where people will be trusting her with their lives. I have no problem with her confessing to the young Akimichi, Shizune. In the proper time. But first, I have to know that her heart won't come between her and her duty."

Shizune paced back and forth, so agitated that she didn't even soothe Tonton. "Even if that's so," she said, "and I'm not saying I agree with you, don't you think you're just playing with fire as far as the Uchiha boy is concerned? Once the mission is over and Ino tells him the truth, isn't he going to hate you more than ever because you ordered her to trick him?"

Tsunade gave a small smile. "You're seeing the situation from every angle, Shizune. I'm proud of you, even if you're not very proud of me at the moment. Yes, I anticipated the problem with Sasuke. That's why I brought him in first, to talk to him. I told him about the mission to infiltrate Otogakure, and explained about Ino's part in the infiltration. I asked him if he would take part in this mission, and he agreed. All he wants is the chance to prove to Ino that he's changed. Well, that and the chance to be part of the relief team in the field, so he can take an active role in fighting against Orochimaru's minions."

"That doesn't make it any better!" Shizune all but shouted. "He's just going to get his heart broken again!"

"I know," Tsunade said calmly. "I'm counting on it."

Shizune rocked on her heels, completely taken aback. "W-what?" she sputtered.

"Sasuke will eventually discover the truth about his brother," Tsunade said bluntly. "It's impossible that he wouldn't. I want to know – I _need_ to know – if he's just going to react the same way. Some people are naturally evil, Shizune. Orochimaru, for one. No matter how much love he received from the people around him, no matter what positive example he was shown, he craved power too much. I need to discover if Sasuke is that kind of person. Right now he shows much promise. He has faced rejection from Ino, and instead of hating her, he wants to show her that he's truly changed. But what happens when he knows, once and for all, that she will never love him? Will he accept it with grace and dignity? Or will it turn him against her, against _us_? I need to know this, and I need to know it soon. Otherwise there could be far more at stake than Ino's happiness."

Shizune felt like crying – tears of frustration or anger, she wasn't sure – but she was a shinobi too, and used to hard truths. That didn't mean she had to like it. "We serve at the pleasure of the Hokage," she said tightly, "but I still say this is crueler than anything Morino Ibiki ever came up with."

Tsunade winced slightly, Shizune's words hitting their mark. But she said only, "I've rolled the dice. Now we must wait to see how they fall."


End file.
